


Porcelain

by Queerklancing



Series: Omegaverse [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action, Alpha Keith (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Biting, Confident Lance, Cuddling & Snuggling, Demisexual Keith (Voltron), Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Keith (Voltron), Light Angst, M/M, Omega Lance (Voltron), Omega Verse, Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Lance (Voltron), Scenting, Smut, Team Bonding, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-05-27 22:37:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 29,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15034814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queerklancing/pseuds/Queerklancing
Summary: “Lance,” he groans against wet lips, and his voice is so much deeper than usual. “We really shouldn’t. You know what Hunk said,” Keith croaks into his skin, hands pulling Lance’s hips back.“I don’tcare,” Lance moans low in his throat when Keith flattens his tongue on his scent glands. “The mark is almost gone anyway,” he adds breathlessly.Keith leans back at that, and his eyes immediately find the spot on Lance’s otherwise flawless skin. It’s probably invisible to anyone else, but Keith didn’t take his eyes off it in the last three months. He frees his hand from Lance’s death grip, which is commented by a loud whine, and presses a finger to the thin white line – the only sign left of the gruesome bite mark Keith had left there.___Or: Keith tries to overcome his insecurities in his relationship with Lance while taking on his new position as the alpha of the team.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Finally. I'm finally able to post this one! I started working on this last December and GOD I really didn't expect it to get this long! This was planned as a _Oneshot_! And now I had to break it into four chapters!! So get ready for a lot more LMAO! Anyway I'm incredibly nervous to post this one! Not only because it took me so long to write, but also because I really _really_ love this one. Maybe it's weird to say this myself but whatever ahaha :D Especially after rereading the first part I realized how much my writing changed already! 
> 
> And I owe a lot of that to you guys! I wouldn't have written this many stories if it weren't for all your amazing support! The lovely comments I get from you guys are just the best and I'm so SO grateful everyday! :D I have so many more ideas I want to share with you, and I really hope that some of you will stick with me a while longer haha :D
> 
> ANYWAY: Since I'm incredibly nervous about this one, please PLEASE take a moment to leave a comment to tell me what you thought about it! ;A; Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it! :D

Keith wakes up to his name being hummed in a raspy voice, and a warm body pressed into his. He furrows his brows, groans, and wraps his arms tighter around the comforting presence next to him. He hears a low chuckle, and suddenly lazy heat flares up in his abdomen when he feels a soft roundness pressed to his groin.

“Oh? Is there someone happy to see me?”

Keith opens his eyes at that, and he doesn’t have to see Lance’s face to know that there’s a playful smile on his lips. Instead, he’s presented with soft brown curls and a long neck that is way too tempting this early in the morning. Keith hums, too lazy to say anything yet, and presses his lips to the soft skin in front of him. He’s rewarded with a shiver and a delicious sigh.

“Good morning,” Lance whispers as he wiggles closer and the movement sends a hot spike of pleasure up Keith’s spine. His fingers instantly tighten around Lance’s stomach, and he feels Lance laugh at that.

“Stop that,” Keith groans, voice raspy with sleep.

“You don’t really want me to stop, do you?” Lance whispers, and then he presses back with more intent, stealing a surprised moan from Keith’s lips.

“Lance,” he croaks, and it’s supposed to be a warning, but it sounds more breathless than anything.

“God, I love it when you say my name like this,” Lance moans, grinding his hips back, and Keith can’t help the way his hands instinctively grab them to hold him in place. The sigh that leaves Lance’s lips at that is so pleased and beautiful that Keith swallows thickly.

“Come on, Keith,” Lance coos, and his voice is so silky smooth that Keith is about to melt on the spot. “I can feel that you like it.”

Lance pushes his hips flush against Keith, a breathless sound escaping him at the delicious friction. With that Lance tilts his head, and Keith looks right into blue eyes, pupils blown wide in desire, and the next thing he knows is that he’s kissing Lance.

It’s not soft and shy like their usual morning kisses, because Lance awaits him with parted lips and a passionate hunger that sends searing heat to the pit of Keith’s stomach. A pleased sound drips from Lance’s mouth into his, and Keith _knows_ that Lance can smell his arousal.

Keith pushes forward, drinking in the sounds that are falling from Lance’s lips and soon he can smell it too. Lance usual tame scent, mixing with something heavier, something so delicious and tempting that Keith can’t stop the low growl from the back of his throat.

Suddenly Lance’s hands are over his, and he’s sliding them down to the waistband of Lance’s pants. And this is the moment Keith snaps out of it.

“Lance,” he groans against wet lips, and his voice is so much deeper than usual. “We really shouldn’t.”

“Keith, _please_.”

Keith wants to move away, but then Lance presents him the curve of his neck in submission, and Keith is a weak, _weak_ man.

“Fuck,” he curses, and when he presses his nose to Lance’s neck to inhale his sweet scent, tinged with the clear hint of arousal, Lance _keens_.

“You know what Hunk said,” Keith croaks into his skin, hands pulling Lance’s hips back, flush against his straining erection.

“I don’t _care_ ,” Lance moans low in his throat when Keith flattens his tongue on his scent glands. “The mark is almost gone anyway,” he adds breathlessly.

Keith leans back at that, and his eyes immediately find the spot on Lance’s otherwise flawless skin. It’s probably invisible to anyone else but Keith didn’t take his eyes off it in the last three months. He frees his hand from Lance’s death grip, which is commented by a loud whine, and presses a finger to the thin white line – the only sign left of the gruesome bite mark Keith had left there.

He feels how Lance shivers under his touch and tries to press closer, but Keith isn’t having any of it.

“Lance, we talked about this. We’re not taking any risks.”

Lance huffs and slumps forward. At least he knows when to accept defeat. Well, not without complaining though.

“You’re way too paranoid about this,” he groans and turns around in Keith’s arms. “It’s not like a small make-out session and a little touching will do any harm.” He leans closer as he says this, warm breath ghosting over Keith’s lips.

“You don’t want to end up bonded to me for life, Lance.”

“Hmmm I wouldn’t mind,” Lance hums, pressing his soft lips to the corner of Keith’s mouth.

“Lance.”

This time Keith’s words really sound like a warning. Lance looks up at him for a second, and then he flops onto his back with a loud groan.

“Ugh. _Fine_ ! But for the record, _you_ were the one who woke me up with a hard-on pressed to my butt!”

Keith snorts at that and watches the cute pout on Lance’s face with amusement.

“It happens.”

“It’s _torture_.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Keith replies and flicks Lance’s forehead which earns him a startled yelp.

“Me? You’re the one who’s being dramatic!”

Keith furrows his brows as he props himself up on his elbow and rests his cheek in his hand.

“I’m not dramatic, I’m just careful.”

Now the pout on Lance’s face turns into a real glare when he rolls to his side to look at Keith.

“You’re being _too_ careful. I’m not even in heat, it’s not like anything will happen!”

Keith closes his eyes for a second, and takes in a deep breath. They’ve been over the same topic for the last three months, and he’s growing a little tired of it.

“Look,” he starts and pinches the bridge of his nose. “For the last time, Hunk said if we want to be safe, we have to wait until the mark is _completely_ gone before we do anything.”

Lance opens his mouth, but Keith doesn’t even let him start this conversation. “And _yes,_ even though you ’ re not in heat. There ’ ve been rare cases were the bond was still formed outside the mating circle. We ’ re not taking _any_ risks here, Lance.”

Lance looks at him without saying a word, but the way he squints at him is enough to let Keith know what he thinks about it. He can be so childish.

Lance sighs and his shoulders slump forward.

“I should probably be grateful that you’re so considerate, but I can’t help being annoyed.”

Keith blinks in surprise, and he’s a little startled when Lance scoots forward and presses his face into his chest.

“But we can still cuddle, right?”

Keith sees the red tip of Lance’s ears and can’t help but snort. The fact that _this_ is the thing he’s embarrassed about is weirdly endearing.

“Sure,” Keith whispers, immediately wrapping his arms around Lance. Goosebumps spreads on his arms when he feels the warm puff of Lance’s breath on his skin. He pulls Lance closer, glad that his body got a break to cool down, and relaxes into the touch.

A comfortable silence spreads between them, and Keith feels how his eyelids grow heavy again. He could really need another hour of sleep.

“Really, though,” Lance suddenly whispers. “It’s not like you’re some beast without any self-control. I get that we can’t … go all the way, but-“ Lance lets the rest of the sentence hang in the air between them, and Keith doesn’t realize the way his arms tightens around Lance’s slender frame.

He doesn’t trust himself. Not after everything that happened. He doesn’t want to lose control again. Even the _possibility_ that he could somehow hurt Lance, or do something he doesn’t want, makes his stomach churn with anxiety.

“Hey.”

Keith snaps out of his thoughts when he feels a careful touch on his chest, and he looks right into Lance’s bright blue eyes when he tilts his head down. Keith can immediately smell the concern radiating from Lance.

“Sorry.”

Lance shakes his head, and leans up to rub his cheek against Keith’s.

“No, I’m sorry for bringing this up. I know you’re just being careful.”

A soft purring sound leaves Lance’s lips and Keith closes his eyes, the tension melting from his body in an instant. He never thought that these kinds of things would affect him this strongly, but it seems like everything is different with Lance.

“It’s just-,” Lance suddenly starts again. “Who made you feel this way about yourself?”

Keith sighs and rolls onto his back, pulling Lance along with him. Lance immediately snuggles closer, crossing his arms on Keith’s chest to rest his chin on them as he looks at Keith expectantly.

“Basically everyone?” Keith says with an unamused snort. Lance only raises his eyebrows, but doesn’t interrupt him. Keith sighs again, before he continues. “I presented pretty early.”

“Of course you did,” Lance scoffs, and Keith sends him an annoyed look. Lance grins sheepishly and gestures for him to continue.

“Well, it wasn’t exactly something to be proud of. Once the people at the orphanage realized I was an alpha they pretty much separated me completely from the other kids. They said it was ‘just to be safe’, but from then on everyone thought I was dangerous.”

Keith shrugs nonchalantly. “Guess that imprinted on me.”

Keith’s blinks in surprise when he looks down and sees the look of plain horror on Lance’s face.

“What the _actual_ fuck.”

“Huh?”

“That’s _horrible_!” Lance screeches, and props himself up, the balls of his hands painfully pressing into Keith’s chest, making him wince.

“How the fuck could they do that to you? I can’t fucking believe this!”

Keith only stares at him with wide eyes as he takes in Lance’s furious expression with confusion. He can clearly discern the upsetness radiating from Lance, and his lips curve into a smile he can’t suppress.

“It’s fine, Lance.”

“It’s not!” Lance exclaims, the spicy smell of anger spiking into his scent. “Look at you!”

And suddenly Lance’s hands are squishing Keith’s cheeks. “You’re an adorable puppy! You couldn’t hurt a goddamn fly!”

Keith grabs Lance’s wrist and he furrows his brows. “That’s not tru-“

Lance only presses harder into his cheeks, squishing them so hard Keith’s purses his lips involuntarily.

“Look at this innocent face! How could anyone ever do you any harm!” Lance coos dramatically.

“Lansch,” Keith tries to say, and then Lance is leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. Keith closes his eyes in surprise, but then he feels another kiss planted to his temple, then his cheek and soon he finds himself groaning and laughing at the same time.

“Oh my god, Lance,” he slurs, and Lance answers him with a chuckle. Then he finally lets go of Keith’s cheeks and presses his forehead against his.

“I won’t let anyone make you feel that way ever again, you hear me,” Lance whispers, words sweet but certain, falling against Keith’s mouth mingled with his warm breath. Keith closes his eyes, pressing his head against Lance, and his chest feels way too tight from all the love it's trying to contain.

“Okay,” he whispers back and lets himself be lulled to sleep by Lance’s calming purrs.

* * *

 

They wake up late for breakfast.

Keith curses while he stumbles to put on his clothes, and yells at Lance when he locks himself in the bathroom.

“Are you serious right now? You can do your skin routine later!” Keith groans and rolls his head back to stare at the ceiling in exasperation.

“Relax, man!” comes Lance’s voice from the other side of the door. “I’m just peeing!”

“Too much information,” Keith answers.

“You’re talking to me while I’m trying to pee!” Lance screeches, and Keith can’t help but chuckle.

“Hurry up then. Shiro’s gonna be mad,” Keith says and leans against the wall next to the door. Technically he could leave without Lance, but the thought of walking through the cold corridors of the castle all by himself isn’t exactly pleasing. Not when he can be with Lance who easily fills the silence with chatter.

Keith hears the flush of the toilet, and Lance is out of the door in a second, an embarrassed flush on his cheeks.

“You didn’t have to wait.”

“I know,” Keith replies and let’s the ‘ _But I wanted to_ _’_ unspoken.

Lance’s smile is still wide and playful, and he almost skips when he makes his way over to Keith who is already out of the door.

“Awww, you’d miss me on the way to the kitchen? That’s adorable!” Lance coos, and Keith only grumbles in response, he doesn’t move away when Lance links their arms though. The warmth pressed to his side is more comforting in the coldness of space than he wants to admit. He still has to get used to all this … couple stuff. Not that he doesn’t enjoy it. Because, god he really does. He’s just not good at initiating these things, and he still doesn’t know how he feels about being like this in public. More precise in front of the rest of the team. But Lance doesn’t push it, sometimes he will hold Keith’s hand, but only if nobody’s watching. Well, it’s not like the other don’t know that the two of them are a couple.

“Ugh, _gross_. Your smell is all over each other.”

Pidge scrunches up her nose the moment they enter the kitchen, and glares at them in clear discomfort.

“Good morning to you too, Pidge,” Lance chimes, and hums as he goes to grab food for the both of them. Keith on the other hand feels how heat flares to his cheeks, and he curses his pale skin for showing his embarrassment so easily. He awkwardly sits down at the table, and his eyes flicker up to Hunk who sends him a wide smile.

“Morning, Keith!”

“Mornin’,” Keith mumbles and clears his throat.

If he’s honest, he still feels a little awkward around Hunk. It’s not that Hunk is still mad at him or doesn’t trust him; after all they quickly put down any misunderstandings. But Hunk insisted of having a serious … talk with him.

Just the memory of it has Keith close his eyes for a second. He was _so_ embarrassed. _Incredibly_ embarrassed. So embarrassed he tried to bail out of the room once he realized what it was about. But on the other hand, he didn ’ t want to mess anything up. Lance was still in heat then, so Hunk took the opportunity to fill Keith in on all the details about mating and other things. So, Keith stayed and endured the talk which wasn ’ t _that_ bad, but still not exactly pleasant.

Keith has never really been interested in these kinds of things, so he didn’t really pay attention in health class. It wasn’t any of his concerns back then, so he only got the basics.

As it turned out, Lance has an implement that normally suppresses his heat, which makes sense because at the garrison he didn’t have to request any medication. After all, he had decided to keep it a secret in flight school. The drug in the club however, easily overrode those hormones – basically a sort of heat inducer. Keith had clenched his teeth so hard at that, he could feel the pain in his jaw for the rest of the day.

Then Hunk had told him that they absolutely shouldn’t have sex until the bite mark was completely gone, and that was the second time Keith tried to escape.

“I’m only trying to look out for him, Keith,” Hunk had said as he pressed Keith down to the seat with both hands on his shoulders. “I know he hates it when I patronize him, but I can’t help but worry. You know how noisy I can be.” Hunk chuckled, and indeed, Lance _was_ pretty pissed when he heard about it, but not for long. The only thought Keith had back then was that Lance is really lucky to have a friend like Hunk.

“Here.”

Keith snaps out of his thoughts when someone places a bowl of food-goo in front of him. He lifts his face and looks up to Lance’s wide smile and soft eyes. For some weird reason, Keith stomach flips at that.

“Thanks,” he whispers and hurriedly starts eating, before his feelings can betray him. Lance chuckles as he sits down next to him.

That’s another thing Keith noticed about Lance. He’s actually really nurturing. Ever since he came out as an omega to everyone, he’s been taking care of them. Keith doesn’t know if anyone else noticed because it only presents itself in small things. Like handing them food, and drinks, or a towel, or occasionally covering Pidge or Shiro in blanket when they fell asleep in weird spots.

He asked Lance once about it, and got a shrug and a sheepish smile as a response. “I think it’s just in my nature? I’ve been doing this the whole time though, maybe you just didn’t notice.”

Keith wonders if he’s really been that oblivious, but the possibility is high. He’s never been good at social cues and all this stuff anyway.

“Really, these two are so domestic, it’s scary,” Pidge says, looking at them with an expression that is curious and annoyed at the same time.

“Pidge, just drop it,” Shiro says, but there’s an amused tone in his voice.

“I think it’s cute,” Hunk chimes in with a small smile and an expression that could only be described as fond. It leaves Keith embarrassed and speechless. Luckily, Lance is right next to him.

“Thank you, Hunk!”

“Well at least as long as they keep it low-key,” Hunk adds with a fling of his spoon that almost sends goo flying over the table.

“Betrayal!” Lance squeals and dramatically presses a hand to his chest in mock-outrage. Keith groans in distress and lets his spoon clatter into his bowl.

“Can we please just drop the subject?” He can already tell that his face is too red for his liking, and he feels exposed in front of the whole team.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it low-key if Lance shows up at breakfast and just _reeks_ of Keith,” Pidge adds, easily ignoring Keith’s plea.

“ _Excuse me,_ I don’t reek,” Lance says, and this time Keith can tell that he’s seriously huffy.

Keith has never really cared about his own smell, but he knows that Lance loves it. Lance told him more than once, and made it clear in the way he rubbed himself all over Keith. It’s been kind of weird in the beginning, but Keith quickly came to like it. There’s something that pulls at his gut every time he smells his own scent on Lance. A possessive side he never realized he has.

“Where are Allura and Coran, anyway?” Keith says as he turns to Shiro, pointedly ignoring the banter between Pidge and Lance that continues behind his back.

“They were up pretty early and are setting a new course for the castle,” Shiro answers, an amused smile glued to his lips.

“Actually, now that the subject is already on the table I have something I wanted to talk about with all of you,” Shiro says, raising his voice a little so everyone can hear him.

“About the new mission?” Keith asks, relaxing his shoulders in relief of the topic change. The chatter behind him tones down and everyone’s attention is on Shiro.

“No,” Shiro says, gingerly putting down his spoon and taking a second to look at everyone at the table. “About our pack.”

Yep, Keith is clearly out of luck today.

“What about it?” Lance is the first one to speak up.

“I don’t know if you can even call us a pack,” Pidge says, pushing her glasses up her nose.

“Exactly,” Shiro says and Keith doesn’t like his amused expression. “I think it’s time to change that.”

There’s a beat of silence at the table, and Keith is still staring at Shiro, blinking in confusion when everyone bursts into different reactions.

“About time,” Hunk snorts.

“Fuck, I knew it,” Pidge groans.

And then there’s Lance. He claps his hands together and the sound startles Keith out of his rigor. He turns around and sees the way Lance practically _beams_ at Shiro.

“Oh my god, I’m gonna be a mom!”

Keith just looks at him in bewilderment when Lance whips around to look at Pidge so fast that Keith is impressed he doesn’t get whiplash.

“You’re gonna be my pup!” Lance squeals, and then he’s throwing his arms around Pidge’s neck who immediately tries to fight him off.

“Oh my god, Lance back off! I’m not a child anymore!”

“You still smell like a puppy, though,” Lance laughs as he squishes his cheek against Pidge’s.

“Ummm, what exactly is going on?” Keith finally manages to ask, and turns to Hunk and Shiro, the only people who seem sane enough to explain the situation to him.

“I think it’s time for us to officially become a pack,” Shiro explains. “We have an alpha and an omega who are not bonded yet, but are clearly in a pretty serious relationship.”

The smirk on Shiro’s face is enough to make Keith pull a face. “Okay, but what do you mean by official because-“

“Scenting each other of course.”

Keith knew that this was coming, but he can’t help the groan that leaves him when he tilts his head back. “Okay, wow that’s embarrassing.”

“It’s really not, Keith,” Hunk adds, and Keith lowers his gaze. “Actually, it’s weird for us to live together like this without being a pack.”

Before Keith has the chance to retort anything, he feels a warm presence pressed into his side.

“Come oooon, Keith!” Lance whines, pressing his whole body weight into Keith. “I’ve always wanted my own pack!”

Big blue eyes are staring expectantly at Keith and even though he really wants to try, Keith knows that he won’t be able to defy him. His shoulders sag when he sighs, and Lance throws his arms in the air with a loud cheer before he even says anything.

“Oh my god, that was way too easy,” Pidge groans, and her glasses slip up as she pinches the bridge of her nose. “I guess, we don’t really have a choice, do we?”

“Of course, you do,” Shiro says then, “I want all of us to be comfortable with the idea, but I think it would really strengthen our team.”

“As much as I hate to say this, but I agree,” Pidge sighs, and lifts her gaze to Keith.

There’s silence at the table and when Keith looks around he sees that everyone is staring at him.

“Wh-What?”

“Dude, you’re the alpha you gotta make the first move,” Lance laughs, playfully nudging Keith’s side.

“Wait. Right _now_?”

“There’s no need to wait any longer,” Shiro chuckles, and Keith would like to say that this isn’t making him nervous, but his stomach is in knots.

“Hey,” Lance says, easily getting Keith’s attention. “We’re already a family anyway. We’re just making it a little bit more official.”

Lance’s eyes are bright and confident as he looks at Keith with a soft smile, and weirdly enough that’s all it takes for Keith’s heart to find back to a steady rhythm.

“Okay, if everyone’s really fine with it,” Keith mumbles. He winces when Lance’s hand lands on his cheek with a loud smack.

“We already said it’s okay! Get to it already!” he laughs.

Never mind, Lance is still amazing at annoying Keith too.

“Sooooo,” Keith starts, turning to the rest of the team. “Who’s first?”

“Well, I’m good to go,” Shiro says and the reassuring smile on his face takes another bit of the weight from Keith’s shoulders.

“Um, okay then,” Keith starts, stumbling over his words as he turns in his seat to face Shiro. His heart skips a beat though, when Shiro presents him his neck without hesitation. An open invitation like that is such an intimate move that Keith feels heat rise to his cheeks.

“Um, okay, so don’t mind me,” Keith stutters, knowing fair well that everyone is looking at him as he places his hands on Shiro’s shoulders and leans in.

It’s probably the hardest thing in the world to describe the way someone else smells, but the first thing that comes to Keith’s mind as he rubs his nose against Shiro is: warm. Warm and firm, yet unobtrusive. Keith can’t help the pleased hum that leaves him as he nuzzles closer, and he feels the low vibrate of Shiro’s chuckle.

Contrary to popular believe it’s impossible to tell someone’s second sex without getting all close and personal. Even for alphas. So, for the longest time Keith thought Shiro was an alpha. When he told him, Shiro had laughed so hard he had to lean on the closest wall for support. Ever since learning that Shiro – tall, broad, and impossibly strong – is actually a beta, Keith had realized how outdone the stereotypes they learned in school really are.

There _is_ one exception though. Alphas and omegas are supposed to be able to distinguish each other among other people for … obvious reason. But Keith has never been able to do that. Not because his nose is bad; after all he can discern an omega in heat or an alpha defending his territory – he’s been in a senseless fight over this more than once in his life - but only if the smell is strong.

He’s just simply never had any interest of that kind towards other people, so it never really mattered to him if someone was an omega or not.

That was until he met Lance.

After Keith realized that he _might_ have a huge crush on his teammate, he had been able to smell something different in his scent. Something alluring, something that made the pull in his gut even stronger. Something that told him that Lance was the right one for him.

“Umm, I’m happy you’re enjoying this, but we have something else to do today,” Hunk chuckles and Keith flinches back in surprise.

“S-Sorry,” Keith mumbles, and when he leans back a scent wafts towards him that has him confused for a second. It’s so _so_ weird to smell Shiro’s and his scent mixed together, and he has to clear his throat when Shiro’s eyes meet his.

“I’m next, I’m next!”

Keith turns to look at Hunk in surprise, who cheerfully jumped out of his seat to hurry around the table. A chuckle to Keith’s side catches his attention, and he sees an amused gleam in Lance’s eyes.

“Hunk actually loooooves to be scented,” Lance whispers, shielding his mouth with his hand, as if his voice isn’t loud enough for everyone to hear.

“He also let me do it when we became roommates.”

Keith raises his eyebrows at that, and they stay that way when he turns to look up at Hunk who’s standing in front of him. “Really?”

“Yeah, dude. It’s no big deal for me,” Hunk confirms with a wide grin, and the next thing Keith knows is that he’s being pulled up into a tight hug.

“Umpf.”

The air is being pressed out of his body, and the next time he inhales, his nostrils are filled with Hunk’s scent.

“Oh my god,” he moans in surprise and both Lance and Hunk laugh out loud.

“And? Isn’t he calming?” Lance asks, and if Keith weren’t so distracted with pushing his nose closer to Hunk, he’d be annoyed by the stupid grin Lance surely has on his face.

Hunk smells so soothing and gentle that Keith melts into his embrace in an instant. If he didn’t know it better he’d think Hunk was an omega.

“Yeah,” Keith answers, rubbing his neck against Hunk’s with an appreciative hum.

“Well, my parents are both omegas, so my smell is pretty tame,” Hunk explains, pushing closer to Keith with a soft purr that makes Keith swallow in surprise.

“Aw, man, I wanna smell Hunk too,” Lance whines and nudges the back of Keith’s leg with his. “Hurry up, man.”

“Just a second longer,” Keith slurs, and weirdly enough he’s feeling a little sleepy. Hunk laughs again, loud and deep, and even that sounds soothing to Keith right now. Hunk nuzzles closer for a second and then Keith falls back to his heels when Hunk releases his hold on him. He didn’t even realize he was standing on his tiptoes to get closer to him.

There’s a wide smile on Hunk’s face and a soft blush on his cheeks. He clearly looks pleased, but smelling Keith’s own strong alpha scent on Hunk still feels strange.

“Ohhhh,” Lance coos as he gets up from his seat. He closes his eyes and lifts his chin, nose twitching unnecessarily as he breathes in. “Oh, wow this is so weird, Keith’s smell is all over you.”

Keith grimaces. “Well that’s the whole point of it.”

“Yeah, it’s just … I don’t know it’s just unfamiliar. Your scents are so different, it’s kinda clashing,” Lance laughs, and rubs the back of his neck as if he’s embarrassed.

“Well I’m sorry for ruining Hunk’s perfect smell,” Keith says, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Aw, come on, don’t be like that, dude,” Lance laughs, slinging his arm around Keith’s neck.

“Stop it.”

“No chance. Come on, now you get the biggest treat,” Lance says, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he drags Keith to the other end of the table where Pidge is sitting.

With her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Glaring at Keith.

This is the opposite of what a “treat” looks like.

“She looks ready to kill me,” Keith deadpans and when Lance laughs he sees the corner of Pidge’s lips twitch. Finally, she sighs and drops her arms.

“Okay, let’s get this over with.”

And if Pidge, tilting her head back in submission while closing her eyes isn’t the weirdest and most unsettling thing Keith has witnessed today, he doesn’t know anymore.

When Keith still doesn’t move, Pidge cracks an eye open to look at him. “What are you waiting for?”

“Y-Yeah, right. Sorry,” Keith says quickly, and then he’s awkwardly bending down to her.

Keith really didn’t know what he expected, but the first deep inhale makes his innards melt into a puddle. Pidge smells flowery and soft and - for the lack of a better word - just completely innocent. A surprised sound escapes him when Pidge presses her tiny delicate body into his.

“Oh my god, she _does_ smell like a puppy,” Keith whispers in awe.

“Fuck all of you,” Pidge bites out, and Keith can smell the waver of embarrassment on her.

“I _told_ you,” Lance says. “Isn’t it amazing?”

Keith only hums in response as he rubs his nose against Pidge’s skin. A swell of protectiveness raises in his chest, when she nuzzles closer, a soft relaxed sound leaving her lips.

“Okay! Enough of that I want in too!” Lance exclaims, and then he pushes Keith’s shoulder and presses between them, squishing his cheek against Pidge’s, who groans in annoyance.

“I don’t even get a freaking break,” she grumbles, but then she readily wraps her arms around Lance’s neck as he pushes his nose against her. A happy purring sound escapes Lance and Keith can _see_ the immediate calming effect it has on Pidge. The power of an omega.

At least he knows that he’s not the only one who’s weak to Lance’s soothing nature.

“Me too!”

Keith stumbles backwards, when Hunk barrels past him to scoop both Lance and Pidge up into his arm. Pidge screeches in surprise, but Lance looks happier than ever, pressed to two of his best friends in a bone-crushing hug.

Keith can’t fight the smile that’s finding its way too his lips. He feels a warm hand on his shoulder and looks up into Shiro’s fond gaze.

“You did great, Keith.”

Those words are enough to make a swell of pride well up in Keith’s chest, and he rubs the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. Getting Shiro’s approval has always been important to him. It makes him feel safe and calm.

Shiro pats his shoulder and sighs. “Well, I guess I’ll throw myself in there too, huh?”

“Good luck.”

Shiro laughs and makes his way over there to pry Lance out of Hunk’s arms. And suddenly Keith’s stomach does something weird when he sees the shy way Lance glances up at Shiro. He looks small and vulnerable as he stands there, wringing his hands, but then Shiro laughs and pulls him in by the neck.

Lance yelps in surprise, but after a second he hesitantly buries his face in the crook of Shiro’s neck. Keith snorts when he sees the red tip of Lance’s ears. He knows that Lance admires Shiro, but he’s never seen him act like this around him. Weirdly enough this shy side of him makes Keith’s chest feel tight with affection.

It doesn’t last long though, and once Shiro releases him, Lance eyes dart around until they settle on Keith. The way his face lights up is enough to make Keith’s heart skip a beat, and it only takes Lance a second to rush to his side.

Lance is positively _glowing_. There’s no other word to describe the way Lance just radiates happiness. And even though Lance smells like a weird mix of all of them, Keith can distinguish the happiness and excitement coming from him. It confuses him, and makes his heart race at the same time.

“Look at our _family_ , Keith!” Lance says, and his voice is overflowing with love. Keith, however can’t take his eyes off Lance.

“Yeah,” he says, and he doesn’t know what kind of expression he has, but when Lance looks at him his eyes go wide in surprise, and there’s an obvious flush on his cheeks.

And before Keith knows what he’s doing, he leans in, presses his mouth against Lance’s temple and licks it.

“ _Oh_.” The word is barely more than a breath, escaping Lance’s mouth as he closes one eye in surprise.

“Ohhhhh my _god_!” Hunk squeals, and Keith flinches back as realization hits him.

“You don’t want to scent us and then you _groom_ Lance?” Pidge exclaims, and Keith face combusts into flames.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he curses, wanting to step back, but Lance’s hold on him is inescapable. And then he looks into bright blue eyes, _shining_ at him.

“I don’t mind at all! It’s a common thing in my family!”

Keith is stunned by the sheer amount of happiness directed at him, and he really doesn’t know how to respond.

Luckily, Pidge knows what to say.

“Yuck.”

There’s a beat of silence. And then Lance whips around.

“Come here, you little shit!”

With that Lance darts forward to grab Pidge and lick all over her face.

“Oh my god, _gross_!” Pidge screeches, but she’s laughing at the same time.

Keith only shakes his head and lets out a deep drawn sigh. This morning has been to wild for his taste.

“I’d say you got yourself a wild bunch,” Shiro says as he walks up to Keith, playfully nudging his shoulder.

“You can say that again,” Keith says, but snorts when he sees how Hunk joins Lance and starts grooming Pidge too.

Shiro watches them for a second, but when he turns to Keith with a serious expression, Keith automatically straightens up.

“Keith, I may be the leader of this team, but you’re the alpha,” Shiro starts, and the discomfort must be clear on Keith’s face, because Shiro quickly continues. “I know you don’t like being in charge, and I don’t expect you to lead us, but you have a certain responsibility towards this pack and I expect you to use your power wisely.”

And just like this Keith’s stomach is in knots again. He presses his lips into a thin line and crosses his arms in front of his chest. He knows that Shiro is right but the thought that everyone would depend on him to make decisions for the pack is … unsettling.

“Pshh, please as if I’ll let Keith decide any important matters on his own!” Lance voice cuts into Keith’s thoughts.

“Don’t forget that as the omega I also have a say in this,” Lance adds and grins at both of them. Keith’s shoulders sag in surprise. Right. He’s not alone in this after all. Lance is by his side.

“Oh man this pack is a mess,” Pidge groans, but grins up at Hunk, who puts an arm around her waist and pulls her into his side.

“Yeah, but it’s our mess,” Hunk laughs.

* * *

 

Keith sits on the floor and watches as Lance gets his ass handed to him by Shiro.

“Dude,” Lance wheezes, doubled over and hands pressed to his knees. “I’m basically your mom now. Go easy on me!” he whines, but Shiro only laughs.

“If you don’t want to fight me, I’m sure Allura wants in on the fun.”

Lance shoots up straight and raises his hands in a “come at me” gesture that makes Keith snort. He glances at Allura who also has an amused smile on her lips.

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind a sparring session, I might get rusty,” she says, and rolls her shoulder. “Maybe I will join you.”

“Are you trying to _kill_ me,” Lance whines from where he’s lying flat on his back. Again. Allura giggles as she walks up to Lance to help him to his feet.

It’s weird. The atmosphere in the castle is relaxed and playful. Something that didn’t happen since – Keith purses his lips as he realizes that it has probably _never_ been like this.

He wonders why everyone seems so calm. Maybe it really is the power of a bonding moment. When Allura and Coran joined them earlier, they already knew about human pack dynamic. Apparently, Shiro had talked to them about it too. Alteans don’t have second sexes, but they have a sharp nose, which is why they immediately could tell the difference in the team.

In the spur of a moment Lance had decided that Allura and Coran shouldn’t be left out, that’s why he went and hugged both of them too, rubbing his scent all over them. He made Keith do it too which had been _embarrassing_ , but Coran and Allura seemed happy.

Keith watches how Allura rolls up the sleeves of her dress and gets ready to kick Lance’s ass. He has no doubt that she’ll be able to handle him even with her royal gown in the way. Seeing all of them this happy, relaxed, and safe makes Keith’s chest fill with warmth.

“How can a person this small be so dangerous,” Hunk whines as he plops down on the ground next to Keith. Keith laughs and sees how Pidge jogs across the hall to fight against Shiro.

“Don’t underestimate her,” Keith says and turns to see an exhausted expression on Hunk’s face.

“I shouldn’t let my guard down around her,” Hunk sighs and drops his arm on his bent knee. He leans his head against the wall and closes his eyes for a second.

A small smile plays on Keith’s lips. Hunk tends to fall asleep after training, so Keith doesn’t expect him to start a conversation – but to his surprise, Hunk starts talking.

“Soooooo,” Hunk starts, cracking one eye open and the grin that slowly spreads on his lips is dangerous. “You and Lance, huh? With the whole scenting thing it became kinda more official,” he says and wiggles his eyebrows. Keith groans and drops his head back against the wall, wincing at the impact.

“I think we talked about this enough for one day,” he sighs and grimaces when Hunk pushes his elbow into his side.

“Awww come onnnnn, don’t you want to tell me about it? Anything? How’s it going between you?”

That makes Keith pipe up in confusion. “Huh? Doesn’t Lance talk enough for both of us?”

Hunk grumbles and sinks back against the wall. “No. He refuses to tell me anything.”

Keith stares at him, opening his mouth to say something, but he’s so startled that he ran out of words.

“Huh?” he says again.

“Wellllll,” Hunk drawls, “Lance doesn’t tell me these things anymore. Because…,” Hunk pauses. “I _might_ have a _slight_ problem with keeping things to myself?” There’s a sheepish smile on Hunk’s lips and he shrugs.

“What do you mean? Didn’t you keep it a secret that Lance is an omega?”

“Well, yeah but that was serious,” Hunk explains. “I’m a little weak for gossip,” he admits, and Keith is seriously baffled.

“So Lance doesn’t talk to you about these things? Wow, that’s weird,” Keith laughs. “I was sure that you know more about our relationship than me.”

The laugh that leaves Hunk is loud and booming, and he almost crushes Keith’s knee with his hand.

“I love you, man” Hunk says between laughter as he wipes a tear from the corner of his eyes.

“Wow, I leave you alone for a second and Hunk’s already confessing to you.”

Keith’s head whips up, and he sees Lance standing in front of them, hands stemmed to his waist and a fake frown on his face.

“I get destroyed by both Allura and Shiro and _this_ is how you thank me?” he adds, pressing his hand to his chest.

“I thought Pidge was already defending your honor,” Keith says and now Hunk is losing it for real, clutching his stomach as he laughs.

“Oh my god,” he wheezes. “Your puppy came to rescue you,” Hunk laughs and suddenly Pidge yells from the other side of the room.

“I’m _not_ a puppy!”

“And she didn’t rescue me!” Lance shrieks which only makes Hunk laugh harder, and Keith can no longer fight the snort leaving his lips.

“I want to see _you_ fight Shiro and Allura,” Lance spits and now the frown on his face is real.

“Actually, Keith defeated me in our last practice match,” Shiro chimes in from the other side of the room where he’s talking to Pidge. Lance makes an offended noise from the back of his throat when Keith sends him a shit-eating grin.

“I think I never even fought Hunk,” Allura suddenly hums, a finger pressed to her chin in thought. The laugh dies on Hunk’s tongue when Allura’s eyes land on him. The playful glim in them is both adorable and terrifying at the same time.

“Oh man,” Hunk whispers and now it’s Lance turn to laugh.

Allura’s grin only grows wider, and then she raises her hand and indicates Hunk to come closer with her index finger.

“You can’t reject an offer like this, Hunk,” Lance chuckles. “I mean she’s a _princess_.”

Hunk groans, but gets to his feet nonetheless.

“Why is it that the two girls on our team are easily the scariest,” he mumbles, and a laugh tumbles out of Keith’s mouth when he sees the dejected expression on Hunk’s face.

He watches Hunk join the rest of the team, and chuckles when Shiro places a reassuring hand on Hunk’s shoulder.

The fight in front of him doesn’t hold Keith’s attention for long, because Lance sighs loudly and plops down where Hunk was sitting just a second ago.

“Man, the whole scent thing is messing with my senses,” Lance says and chuckles.

By now it’s easy for Keith to spot the difference between Lance’s jokes and his offhand comments that seem playful but are genuine – and Lance really looks drained.

So, Keith lowers his eyebrows in worry.

“Really?”

Lance glances at him and lets his head fall back against the wall.

“Hm? Oh yeah, just a little,” Lance admits. “I keep getting distracted because your smell clings to the others. It’s kinda-“ Lance makes a vague motion with his hand that doesn’t tell Keith anything at all.

He furrows his brows.

“Does it bother you?”

“What? No!” Lance says quickly, turning to look at Keith. “It’s just weird that’s all. It’ll be gone in a day or two after all.”

That’s true. Usually it doesn’t take that long to get rid of someone else’s smell.

It’s different with Lance though. Right now, it’s because Lance and Keith are … well, all over each other most of the time. So a part of Lance always smells like him and the other way around. But … if they really end up bonded for life, Keith’s smell will be imprinted on Lance for good.

“I’m happy,” Lance says and the smile on his face his so soft and sweet that Keith’s heart squeezes in his chest. “I always wanted my own pack, so this is literally a dream come true,” Lance chuckles.

Keith silently swears that he’ll do _anything_ to make sure Lance stays this happy.

“My mom would freak out if she knew I already found one,” Lance says, and the beautiful smile on his face turns into an expression that is fond and yet so sad it shatters Keith’s heart.

He wants to say something to reassure Lance - but he really doesn’t know what. There’s no way he can replace the warm love of a mother. So instead, he asks.

“Are you two close?”

“My mom and I are best friends!” Lance says and the happy glint in his eyes returns full force. “I tell her everything! She knows about every crush I ever had, the names my children will have – all the important stuff, you know?” Lance rambles on, hands gesturing wildly. Keith only hums and leans his cheek against his propped-up knee, looking at Lance as he listens attentively.

“I promised to tell her immediately when I found a mate,” Lance says, and Keith’s heart skips a beat when Lance’s eyes fill with pride and love. “I really want her to meet you.”

Keith swallows and lifts his head. “Uh.. That- that would be great,” Keith stutters, and he wants to punch himself, but Lance sends him a beaming smile.

“She will love you! I just know it,” Lance laughs, and a small smile spreads on Keith’s lips.

“I really hope so,” he answers. And god he does. He knows that family is incredibly important to Lance, so just imagining what would happen if his mom didn’t like him makes Keith shudder.

“You- Your mom wouldn’t mind if you come home and invite an alpha to your home?” he asks, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I mean, I know that some families can be protective about their home, their territory, so-“

“Dude,” Lance interrupts him. “You don’t have to worry about this. Once my sister brought home a boyfriend and let me tell you: He absolutely _reeked_.”

“What?” Keith chuckles at the disgusted look on Lance’s face.

“He had just presented as an alpha and man let me tell you that’s not a smell you want in your home.”

Keith pulls a face at that. Yeah, he remembers all too well. Even he was disgusted with his own smell back then.

“But my mom didn’t mind. She knew that my sister was in love, so she endured it.”

Lance wraps both of his arms around his knees and rocks forward as he smiles brightly at Keith. “And she knows that it’s my dream to have my own pack ever since I learned that I’m an omega, so she will be _thrilled_ to meet you.”

Keith can’t help the sigh that leaves his lips at that. “Your family sounds amazing.”

“It is,” Lance says. “And they will welcome you with open arms when we’re back on earth.”

The confidence in Lance’s voice doesn’t leave any room for doubt, and Keith can’t find any words to express the tight feeling in his chest. He’s happy, but – at the same time, he can’t help the small spark of jealousy. Jealousy about the fact that he never had something like that. That the only thing he got was shame and hatred for being an alpha, and no one who told him that it was okay, that he was fine just the way he is. Maybe he would’ve been a different person if he had a mom like this. Or someone like Lance around. Lance who seems so comfortable in his own skin.

“Have you never struggled with the fact that you’re an omega?”

The words are out of Keith’s mouth before he has the chance to wonder if they are offensive in any way, and he winces when he sees the surprised look on Lance’s face.

“No.”

The answer comes without hesitation and Keith can only blink at Lance in awe.

“I mean,” Lance starts, averting his gaze as he rubs his neck. “Of course there were struggles. Like the whole thing with the garrison, but it never really bothered me.” Lance chuckles. “I was just glad I wasn’t a boring beta.”

He turns his head and suddenly there’s a lopsided smirk on his lips that Keith knows far to well. “And it made flirting so much easier, my natural omega charms worked wonders.”

Keith groans and rolls his eyes.

“Although there were some unwanted suitors too, but that happens when you smell as delicious as me.”

The words settle heavy into Keith’s stomach, and hot anger sets the blood in his veins on fire.

“Woah, there! Calm down, Keith! Nothing happened!” Lance laughs, placing a calming hand on Keith’s biceps, before he even has the chance to say something. The fact that Lance can read him so easily should be unsettling, but weirdly enough it’s not. Not at all.

He would have never thought that he’s the kind to get jealous, but that’s another thing he learned about himself when it came to Lance. Really, it’s a little embarrassing that he can’t seem to be calm about anything concerning Lance. Just the thought that someone else would _touch_ Lance is -

Keith suddenly straightens his back.

Oh.

He never thought about that before.

“Keith?”

Lance tilts his head in confusion, looking at Keith with furrowed brows. He’s basically radiating concern, and it would be adorable if Keith wasn’t completely occupied with his thoughts. Keith opens his mouth and fear ties a heavy knot in his stomach.

“Have you,” Keith starts, his voice sounding strained. “Have you ever … been with someone before?”

The words hang in the air between them, and Keith’s heart hammers in his chest. He’s holding his breath as he looks into Lance’s confused eyes.

“Been with someone?” Lance asks, furrowing his brows – and then his expression goes slack.

“Oh,” he breathes.

And then his face turns the brightest shade of red Keith has ever seen. It startles Keith so much that he can only blink as his stomach swoops at the sight.

“I – You- _No_ ! ” Lance stutters. “ You- how can you even _think_ that?”

“What?” Keith asks, dumbfounded. “You always flirt with people, so I thought maybe you’d-“

“I didn’t!” Lance shrieks so loudly that his voice breaks.

“Um, well good,” Keith says, feeling embarrassment burn in his cheeks as well. “N-Neither have I.”

“W-Well, that was to be expected,” Lance scoffs with false bravado, but it still makes Keith glare at him.

“I could have,” he hisses. “If I wanted to.”

“Yeah, right,” Lance laughs and waves Keith off, but the blush is still obvious on his cheeks.

“Trust me, I got more than enough offers,” Keith says, and he can smell the moment Lance gets seriously irritated.

“Oh yeah? I bet they were all super ugly and gross,” Lance spits, leaning into Keith’s personal space.

“Not as ugly and gross as _you_ ,” Keith retorts and Lance gasps in shock.

“Take that back!”

“Never!”

“What are you guys fighting about?” Hunk chimes in, and they both whip around at the same time and yell at him in unison.

“Nothing!”

“Geez, you’re parents for not even three hours and you already have your first fight,” Pidge adds, shaking her head in disbelief. “Look at your son, he’s got anxiety.”

She gestures at Hunk who indeed looks a little frightened by their sudden outburst.

“Keith started this!”

“Wha- I did not!”

“You asked me weird questions!”

“How is it weird to ask you if you’ve ever had se-“

Lance shrieks and slaps a hand on Keith’s mouth before he gets to finish his sentence. For a moment, Keith thinks about licking Lance’s hand, but he has a strange feeling that it would backfire. Lance does have a lot of siblings after all.  

Pidge sighs, and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“This is in the top three of things I don’t want to know about my parents,” she says.

“Yeah, guys. Don’t talk about those things in front of the puppy,” Hunk says and wheezes when Pidge rams her elbow into his side.

Lance finally lets go of Keith when Allura and Shiro join them, their faces still flushed from the exercise, but a happy smile on their faces.

Allura shakes her head, hands stemmed to her waist in a disapproving manner.

“This training was a mess, the atmosphere in this ship is way too carefree,” she says with a stern expression that melts into a playful smile. “I bet it’s Lance’s fault.”

“Oh my god,” Lance groans. “You too? What is it with everybody today!”

Allura laughs at that and then she turns to Keith and says: “You should really keep your omega in check.”

Keith sees how Lance’s cheek bloom into a bright red color, just as he feels heat rise to his face as well.

“Umm,” he chokes.

“Oh my god,” Pidge wheezes, pressing both of her hands to her face, and even Shiro looks extremely flustered and uncomfortable when he clears his throat.

“Um, princess?” he says. “Err, well on earth it’s ummm considered extremely… _intimate_ to say that.”

“Say what?” Allura asks, cocking her head to the side in question.

“To use pronouns of possession,” Pidge says, after clearing her throat.

“Exactly.” Shiro nods.

“Oh my! I didn’t know that!” Allura says, pressing fingers to her lips as she turns to Lance and Keith. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Lance chokes out, clearly just as flustered as Keith feels. Even though Keith has to admit that, hearing Lance being called _his_ omega sure felt … nice.

Back when he had claimed Lance he naturally slipped into thinking that Lance was his. The memory sends a pleased shiver down his spine. And as soon as it’s gone Keith pulls a grimace. He really shouldn’t feel that way about it.

A drawn- out sigh leaves his lips without permission, and he sees the glance Lance sends him from the corner of his eyes. This day has been draining. Keith is exhausted and ready for some peace and quiet. There was a lot to process today. He wants to return to his room and get some well-deserved rest. Lance knows that Keith needs his alone-time once in a while. To “recharge his social-batteries” as Lance likes to call it.

But … for some reason, the thought of being alone right now makes Keith’s chest feel tight.

“Well since I’m already deemed the trouble-maker of this group,” Lance suddenly says, clapping his hands together. “I vote for a movie night!” He raises his hand high above his head with a wide grin. “Who’s with me?”

“Oh! Me, Me!” Hunk chimes in, jumping as he raises his hand as well. Pidge grins from one ear to the other when she raises her hand. “Only if I get to choose the movie, your choices always suck.”

“Rude!”

“I agree,” Shiro chuckles as he raises his hand as well, and Allura giggles at Lance’s outraged huff, but her hand’s in the air as well.

“Me too!” Coran’s voice booms out of the intercom, and he furiously waves behind the glass of the observation room.

“Keith?”

Keith turns to Lance who looks at him with a soft expression.

“I’m not gonna raise my hand.”

“Oh, come on!” Pidge groans.

“But I’m in.”

“Yes!” Hunk cheers and pumps his fist into the air. “Come on, Lance! I need your help with preparations!”                                                                                          

Lance turns around to send Keith an apologizing smile as he gets pulled along by Hunk, and Keith can’t help the small smile tugging at his lips.

“I’m going to check the perimeter and set up the alarm, so we won’t miss any incoming signals,” Allura explains and Shiro naturally follows her out of the room.

“Well, I guess it’s on us to choose a movie, then,” Pidge speaks up, a mischievous smile on her face that Keith returns with the same sentiment.

“Let’s choose something nasty,” he says, and Pidge throws her head back as she cackles.

* * *

“Oh, good god, that’s just _wrong_ , ” Hunk squeaks from where he ’ s hiding behind his pillow. “ Can we please, choose a different movie, I _can_ _’_ _t_. I just can’t!”

“Don’t be such a baby,” Pidge says, and Keith can practically hear how she rolls her eyes.

In Hunk’s defense: the movie is pretty … weird. Even though Keith doesn’t have a clue what’s going on, but it _looks_ disgusting.

To his surprise Shiro speaks up as well.

“I, umm, I have to agree with Hunk.”

Shiro looks clearly uncomfortable, even though his eyes are still trained to the TV. There’s a sheer look of horror on his face when some wet splashing sounds fill the room and Shiro flinches.

“Okay, fine,” Pidge sighs and gets up from her position next to Hunk.

“Oh really? But the fun part starts now!” Coran says, and Lance snorts when Shiro turns to look at Coran with an expression of clear disgust.

“I’m not sure humans and alteans have the same idea of the word fun,” Lance chuckles as he tugs his head back against Keith’s chest.

The moment they settled on the sofa in their PJs and blankets, Lance had cuddled up to Keith, curled into his side as close as possible. Keith was embarrassed for a second, but then he noticed that no one paid any attention, so he had relaxed into Lance’s touch.

“This one is a child’s movie, so you should be fine,” Pidge huffs as she gets up from her crouched position.

“Oh! I love this one! I saw it a million times when I was little,” Allura sing-songs, excitedly clasping her hands together as she sits up. Coran chuckles.

“King Alfor did the best impressions of that lion king.”

“Lion King? Wait we have a movie with that name on earth too!” Hunk says.

“Really? I doubt it’s the same one though, this one is a fairy tale about the Voltron lions! An artist made it especially for the royal family,” Allura says, and her eyes shine brightly.

“Oh? That actually sounds interesting,” Pidge says, and Keith blinks in surprise when Pidge sits down next to him, instead of Hunk. Her eyes are trained on the TV as she folds her legs underneath herself, absentmindedly pulling Keith’s blanket over her body as well. Keith tenses when she drops her head on his shoulder.

“This looks cute,” she says, snuggling closer to his side, and Keith’s heart stumbles in his chest. A small chuckle pulls his attention, and he looks down to see an amused smile on Lance’s lips.

It’s warm. It’s crowded. And Keith’s heart feels so full that he’s sure it will explode any second now. He watches the cartoon-like story on the screen and hears how the others laugh and scream when their lions show up. There’s a witch and a king and it’s a wonderful magical story.

Keith has never had something like this. At least he can’t remember. And yeah, sure, the team already had movie nights like this before, but it was never –

It never felt this much like home. Like a family.

A lump forms in Keith’s throat, and he swallows when he feels a dangerous sting in his eyes. Lance shifts closer then, a purr dropping from his lips as he firmly takes Keith’s hand into his.

It’s warm. It’s crowded. And Keith has never been this happy in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems like Shiro already made contact with the locals, so Keith takes a second to scan his surroundings.
> 
> He’s never seen trees as huge as this. They’re as high as skyscrapers, casting long shadows on the ground, but the shade does nothing to alleviate the heat. An uproar of different sounds echoes from the tropical looking forest, and Keith shivers involuntarily at the thought of what creatures might lurk in the depths of it.
> 
> “Dude!” Lance suddenly wheezes, crashing into Keith’s side so hard it makes him stumble.
> 
> “What the shit, Lance,” he hisses, but Lance grabs his chin and turns his head forward.
> 
> “ _Fairies_ ,” Lance breathes in awe, and Keith’s eyes land on the creatures in question.
> 
> "Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand here we are with Chapter 2 :D I'm SO excited to share this one with you guys because it has a lot of scenes I LOVED to write and I'm SO curious to hear what you guys are thinking! :D I'm so FLOORED by all the amazing feedback I got for the first chapter already, and I really hope you'll like this one as well! :D Since a lot of you seemed to like the questions I posted at the end of Chapter 1, I'll do the same for this one! :DDD I would be SO happy if you take the time to tell me what you thought about this!!! :D
> 
> Seriously, writing fics makes me so so happy, and a big part of it are my readers :) So thank you so so much for all the support and encouragement!! It means the world to me <3

* * *

Keith wakes up with a groan and sticky eyelashes. They stayed up way too long yesterday, watching movies and talking through the night. When Keith’s head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

Apparently, he slept even too long for Lance because the place next to him is cold and empty.

“Umpf,” Keith huffs as he plops his face down into his pillow again. His limbs feel heavy, and he can’t find the will to move. Another groan leaves his lips. He’s sure he will get some shitty comment for sleeping so long.

“Okay,” he mumbles into his pillow and pushes himself up with both arms. “Time for a hot shower.”

Keith crawls out of his warm bed and almost stumbles when his legs get tangled in the sheets. He curses and jumps on one leg to get rid of the blanket. He rubs his eyes as he slips on some sweatpants and a shirt. Really, it’s a shame that they don’t have showers in their quarters. He has to go all the way down the hall to their shared bathroom.

Keith doesn’t even try to stifle the loud yawn that leaves him when he opens the door to his room.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

Keith blinks his eyes open and looks into Shiro’s amused face. “Did you sleep well?”

Keith scrunches up his nose.

“Yeah,” he says and clears his voice that’s still rough with sleep.

Shiro chuckles and pats his shoulder. “Take your time waking up, there’s nothing on the schedule for today.”

“Roger that,” Keith mumbles in reply, and Shiro smiles at him before he continues down the hall.

Huh. Weirdly enough Shiro’s smell is almost back to normal already. It didn’t take so long for it to wear off after all. He wonders if Pidge and Hunk still smell like him, or if any trace of their newly established bond is gone. Keith’s heart sinks at the thought, and he shakes his head in annoyance as he opens the door to the showers. They’re family now, there’s nothing that can change that.

Keith pulls his shirt over his head and kicks off his pants and boxers. A pleased sigh leaves his lips when he steps into the cabin and the warm water automatically starts to stream down his body. Keith’s shoulders slump as he tilts his head forward to let the water run through his hair.

He really has a family now.

Before he came to space he only had Shiro, and before that he lived in the orphanage until he was old enough to leave for the garrisons. It wasn’t exactly easy to find a foster-family as an alpha — and even worse with a hot-headed one like Keith. At least that’s what people always told him, although Keith had never overstepped his bounds. Yeah, he has a short temper, and he took martial arts classes to learn to channel his aggression after presenting at a young age, but he never hurt someone else on purpose. At least no one who didn’t deserve it.

Still, the fear — the knowledge, that he’s the alpha of this amazing team is a heavy weight on his shoulders. Now he has even more people to look out for.

Keith sighs and tips his head back, running a hand through his hair. He’s stupid. There’s no need to worry about this. His pack is filled with strong, independent individuals who have a sense of unity that’s probably incomparable to any in the universe. Keith’s lips split into a proud grin. He couldn’t possibly wish for a better pack.

Keith grabs the shampoo bottle with new-found eager. He doesn’t want to mope around, instead he wants to cherish this. His new bonds. His new family. The people he wants to protect — with Lance by his side.

* * *

“Morning, Keith!”

Keith looks up from his bowl of food-goo and is met with a wide smile.

“Mornin’,” he mumbles, mouth still filled with food.

His eyes follow Hunk as he walks up to their equivalent of a fridge and takes out a water pouch. Hunk is wearing the undersuit of his paladin armor, and his hair is plastered against his wet forehead.

“Training this early?” Keith asks.

Hunk lets out a pleased sound after draining the whole water pouch in one go.

“Yeah, Lance wanted to spar, so I indulged him,” Hunk says. “Man, he’s really gotten better at it. Almost threw me over his shoulder once.” A wide smirk spreads on Hunk’s lips. “Almost.”

Keith snorts and returns his gaze to the food in front of him. He could tell Hunk that it’s because Lance finally worked up the courage to ask Keith to train him in hand-to-hand combat, but he keeps it to himself. Lance improved a lot, and he doesn’t want to take any credit for it.

Hunk sits down at the table with a sigh, undoing his headband to slick his wet hair back with a grimace. His tame scent his highlighted with sweat, and Keith’s nose twitches when he catches a waft of Lance in it. It leaves him with a pulling ache, constricting in his chest.

So, he pushes his chair back, wincing at the loud screech it makes.

“You’re leaving already?” Hunk asks, looking up at him.

“Um, yeah. Gonna- um- check on Lance,” Keith says, not knowing why he revealed that when he sees the mischievous smirk spreading on Hunk’s lips.

“Yeah, you do that, loverboy.”

“Wha-,” Keith starts, but his words get drowned out in Hunk’s laughter.

“Go, go!” Hunk says, patting the small of Keith’s back, which leaves him confused _and_ hurting.

“Um, okay,” he mumbles, turning to go. He can still hear Hunk’s chuckles as he steps into the hallway. He doubts he’ll ever get used to Hunk’s prying nature.

When Keith and Lance started dating he was so overprotective, hovering over them, demanding Keith to learn a shit-ton of things — going so far to get them _tested_ — until Lance had snapped and told him off.

Since Coran doesn’t know a thing about human sexuality, Hunk had taken on the role as their stand-in doctor. Keith is glad that Hunk is no longer doubting him, or worried about Keith and Lance being together, but now it almost seems as if Hunk is using every opportunity to set them up.

Keith shakes his head in embarrassment, opens the door to the training room, and comes to an abrupt halt when his eyes land on Lance.

And okay, so here’s the thing: this is definitely not the first time Keith walks in on Lance doing push-ups while being shirtless. But it’s the first time since they became boyfriends, and Keith is allowed to stare openly now.

His eyes follow the steady movement of Lance’s arms, taking in the way his muscles bulge and shift with every strong push of his arms. He sees the way his shoulder-blades move under tan-skin as he lowers himself to the ground. His bangs falling into his eyes, droplets of sweat rolling down his strong jaw, all the way to his chin and dripping to the floor. Keith’s eyes trail down to his stomach, firm and toned, moving with every harsh pant Lance exhales into the air.

The searing heat pooling in the pit of Keith’s stomach has very little to do with the attraction an alpha should feel for an omega.

Lance has a slim waist, he’s soft and curvy in the right places and Keith constantly wants to put his hands on him and press close. But that’s not all there is to Lance. He also has nice broad shoulders, strong arms, and large hands that give Keith _completely_ different ideas.

A shiver runs down his spine and he swallows thickly.

Lance’s head snaps to the side, and Keith almost flinches when he sees wide eyes bore into his. Lance’s lips curve into a knowing smile and Keith curses quietly under his breath. Damn his stupid hormones.

“Well, well, guess who decided to get his lazy ass out of bed,” Lance chuckles, his arms staying in an outstretched position that lets Keith get a good look of his well-defined triceps.

“Shut up,” Keith spits, and starts walking up to Lance.

“Wow, rude first thing in the morning? I thought you’d be relaxed after getting so much sle- _umpf_!”

Lance ungracefully drops to the floor when Keith plops his ass on Lance’s back without a warning.

“What the fuck,” Lance mumbles, looking over his shoulder with one cheek squished against the floor.

Keith crosses his legs, a smug grin plastered to his lips.

“What? Can’t get it up?”

The burning glint igniting in Lance’s eyes makes Keith’s stomach flip. He sees how Lance’s shoulder blade jut out as he pushes himself up with a low grunt. Keith almost chokes on his own spit, quickly steadying himself with a hand on Lance’s bare back. Lance’s arms quiver for a second, but then he’s lowering his upper-body again and soon enough he finds back into a steady rhythm. He’s panting heavier now, low grunts leaving his lips every-time he pushes up.

A small pathetic sound leaves Keith’s lips when the arousal in his gut turns into an almost unbearable ache.

“Oh?” Lance pants, “Does that turn you on?”

“Fuck you,” Keith hisses, but it doesn’t have any bite. Lance laughs breathlessly in response, and Keith feels a little vulnerable, knowing that Lance can read him like an open book.

“One hundred thirty,” Lance wheezes. “One-hundred-thirty-one.”

Keith throws his head back and laughs. “As if!”

Lance snorts in response, arms wobbling dangerously as he starts laughing along. Keith isn’t surprised when Lance’s arms finally give in and he topples to the ground alongside him. Lance is still laughing when he turns to the side, looking at Keith with bright eyes, and a wide smile glued to his lips.

He’s beautiful, so Keith puts a hand on Lance’s cheek and leans in to kiss him.

“Idiot,” he breathes against Lance’s mouth and feels the curve of Lance’s smile against his lips. Lance only hums in response, slings one arm around Keith’s shoulder and pulls him along as he flips onto his back.

Keith huffs in annoyance when his head drops on Lance’s bare chest, and he shifts until he finds a more comfortable position. He wants to complain, but then Lance’s fingertips dance over his back, sliding all the way up between his shoulder blades and back-down to the exposed stripe of skin on his lower-back. Keith melts into the touch, feeling Lance’s breath ghost over his neck when he sighs, seemingly content with their position on the hard floor.

These casual touches used to catch Keith off-guard. It took him quite some time to get used to them, and not get startled every-time Lance touched him carefully. Not because he doesn’t like it. Quite the contrary. He never had anyone who touched him this lovingly and it still sends goosebumps all over his body.

Keith pushes closer, burying his face into Lance’s chest. His skin is a little sweaty, but Keith really doesn’t care.

“That tickles,” Lance giggles, high and adorable, so Keith nuzzles closer. He wants to stay like this, but it’s probably not the best place for a nap.

“We should get up,” Keith mumbles.

“I don’t want to.”

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“You’re not the one laying on the floor,” Lance says, tapping his knuckles on Keith’s head.

“Yeah, but you’re so boney,” Keith complains, and then without thinking he adds: “Why don’t you have boobs.”

“ _Oh my god_ ,” Lance wheezes and then Keith is being shaken with the vibrations of Lance’s laughter bursting out of him.

“I didn’t know you were into _boobs_ ” Lance laughs so hard he snorts, and it would be adorable if Keith’s face wasn’t burning in embarrassment.

“I’m not!”

“You just said so!”

“I’m not into anything!” Keith hisses, pushing himself up to glare at Lance.

“Lies,” Lance says, tears still glinting in his eyes as he grins at Keith. “You’re clearly into me.”

“Shut up you-“

“ _Paladins to the control-room, now! We received a distress -signal!_ ”

“Fuck,” Lance hisses as he turns to look up at the speakers blaring Allura’s voice through the room.

Keith quickly gets up, but not without silently bemoaning the loss of Lance’s warmth against his skin. He holds out a hand and Lance grabs it firmly as Keith pulls him up.

Keith’s own regret is mirrored in Lance’s eyes, and yet a small smile forms on Lance’s lips.

“Guess playtime is over.”

* * *

Keith grits his teeth as another blow shakes Red, jumbling him in his seat.

“Look out!” Pidge yells, and Keith’s head bumps into the side of his seat, when Green crashes into him to get him out of the trajectory of the Battle cruiser.

Red spins backwards until Keith can regain control of him, immediately whipping around to look for Pidge.

“Pidge!” he yells but sees Green escape out of the cruiser’s reach just in time. Keith exhales in relief and grins when he sees how she immediately opens the fire on the cruiser.

The moment they entered the atmosphere of the small green planet, hell broke loose. It’s under heavy attack from a whole Galra fleet — including the huge cruiser Keith and Pidge are currently trying to hold back.

“This won’t work,” Pidge grits out, “We need Voltron!”

“Agreed,” Keith hisses, dodging another attack from a smaller ship, “Shiro! Status report!”

“We’re almost done here! We’ll be there in a sec,” Shiro answers, but his voice sounds strained as well, “I need you to hold on for a little longer.”

“Copy,” Keith states, and turns to Pidge. “Pidge, we need to hold that blaster down for a while. Can you restrain it with your vines?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to,” Pidge says, and Keith doesn’t need to see her face to know there’s a smug grin glued to her lips.

“Alright, got your six,” Keith says, turning Red around to shoot down any Galra ship coming their way.

Like this he can’t see what Pidge is doing, but he trusts her without having to. He concentrates on keeping the damage to a minimum, while protecting the both of them.

“Blaster down,” Pidge confirms over the coms, and spins around to Keith’s side. “It won’t hold them back forever, though,” she adds.

“It won’t have to!”

A wave of relief washes over Keith when he hears Lance’s voice over the coms and sees the three lions rushing towards them from the left.

“Took you long enough,” Keith answers with a smile.

“Hey! Should you really say that to the one saving your sorry ass?”

Keith huffs and rolls his eyes.

“Stop fighting and form Voltron!” Shiro commands.

“Time to save the day,” Lance cheers, and Keith feels the rush of amusement spreading through the team as his own lips split into a wide grin.

* * *

 It’s a matter of minutes for Voltron to take out the battle cruiser, and Keith finds himself on a planet that is basically one giant forest.

He’s met with warm, humid air the moment he steps out of the cockpit, and he pulls his helmet off with a grimace. The atmosphere is sweltering, and Keith wipes his forehead as he steps on the mushy ground.

“Jesus Christ, it’s _hot_ ,” Lance complains as he jogs up to Keith, running a hand over his neck.

“You don’t say,” Keith says. “Thought you’d be used to it.”

Lance sends him a pointed look. “Just because I’m from Cuba doesn’t mean I like being boiled alive.”

Keith only rolls his eyes and steps forward to meet Shiro and the rest of the team. It seems like Shiro already made contact with the locals, so Keith takes a second to scan his surroundings.

He’s never seen trees as huge as this back on earth. They’re as high as skyscrapers, casting long shadows on the ground, but the shade does nothing to alleviate the heat. An uproar of different sounds echoes from the tropical looking forest, and Keith shivers involuntarily at the thought of what creatures might lurk in the depths of it.

“Dude!” Lance suddenly wheezes, crashing into Keith’s side so hard it makes him stumble.

“What the shit, Lance,” he hisses, but Lance grabs his chin and turns his head forward.

“ _Fairies ,_ ” Lance breathes in awe, and Keith’s eyes land on the creatures in question.

“Oh.”

The beings floating in front of Shiro look like something straight out of a fairy tale indeed. They’re glowing, skin kind of glittery but radiating in different pale colors. Blue, red, pink, and yellow — but all of them have a pair of transparent wings, fluttering so fast Keith has trouble seeing them clearly.

“Holy shit,” Lance whispers, and Keith furrows his brows in annoyance when Lance just stares ahead with wide eyes, still holding Keith’s face too firmly.

Keith slaps his hand away and loosens his jaw.

“Get a grip.”

“But they’re _fairies_ , Keith,” Lance says again as he jogs to keep up with Keith who starts walking towards the group.

Keith sighs.

“Alright, I get it.”

He knows Lance has a weird … _thing_ for fairy tale creatures, so he’s not going to judge. Let Lance have his fun flirting, Keith really doesn’t mind. He knows that Lance is all bark and no bite after all.

“We really don’t know how to thank you enough, dark paladin,” one of the fairies says, voice high and sweet.

“There’s no need to thank us, especially when our mission isn’t done yet,” Shiro answers.

“What do you mean?” Keith asks as he steps up to the group. He glances at Lance who stares at the blue fairy in front of them with wide eyes and red cheeks. Keith is tempted to roll his eyes, but he suppresses the urge.

The attention of the group shifts towards him, and Keith can’t explain the small shiver that runs down his spine when the dark eyes of the fairy meet his gaze.

“Oh!” the red one breathes, putting long fingers to plush lips.

“Oh my,” the yellow one chimes in, and the next thing Keith knows is that four fairies are crowding around him.

“You smell _delicious_ ,” the pink one coos, pushing her hands up his biceps and Keith blinks down at her in confusion.

“Uhh,” he makes, completely dumbfounded.

“Your scent is so … _dominant_ ,” the blue one purrs, lowering her voice seductively, even batting her eyelashes. Keith’s breath catches in his throat when he’s hit with a smell he can’t quite place, and-

“Well, too bad he’s already taken.”

Lance’s voice is so sharp it cuts through the air like a knife — accompanied by a wave of aggression Keith has _never_ smelled in Lance’s scent. Lance steps closer and the fairies squeak as they scatter away.

He wraps his arms around Keith’s upper arm, pulling it firmly to his chest as he puffs out his cheeks. Keith’s eyes are trained on Lance in awe and confusion. He has _no_ idea what‘s happening right now.

One of the fairies clicks her tongue and Keith turns his head to look into her furious expression. “I see you already have a mate,” she says, scrunching up her nose as if Lance’s smell offended her.

“Yeah, damn right he does,” Lance spits, surprising Keith again with the vigor of his anger.

“Now, now, let’s all calm down, okay?” Hunk suddenly speaks up, voice as shaky as the smile on his lips. “Isn’t there a rescue mission we have to plan?”

Apparently, that’s enough to get the attention of the fairies because they turn to look at Hunk.

“Rescue mission?” Keith asks as he glances at Lance, who pulls him even closer, still glaring at the fairies.

“Our queen was taken,” the pink one breathes, desperately clutching her hands in front of her chest.

“They’re holding her hostage in a ground base, deep in the forest,” the red fairy explains.

“We’re too weak to rescue her on our own. Please, Paladins, you’re our only hope!” she pleads, turning to Keith, and Lance’s grip on Keith’s arm gets so tight he winces.

“Well, we’re here to help you,” Pidge says, pushing up her glasses with a smile. “Do you know where the base is located?”

“Yes! We can bring you there!”

“Wait, do we plan to go there on foot?” Hunk chimes in, wringing his hands as he eyes the forest. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“There’s no need to worry, it’s not that far,” the blue one explains. “The forest is our home, we promise to get you there safe and sound.”

“Alright, team,” Shiro speaks up, turning to face them. “This is an infiltration mission. We’ll have Elva and her team lead us there. We have to be careful. There are probably still Galra guarding the base.”

“Yes, sir!” Keith answers when Shiro’s eyes land on him. He’s met with a tight smile in response.

“Alright, let’s head out. Elva you lead the way,” Shiro addresses the blue one — Elva — and he follows as she flutters ahead.

Keith steps forward, expecting Lance to let go of his arm, but Lance easily falls into step with him, pressing even closer if that’s even possible. He’s still radiating discomfort and Keith raises his eyebrows.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Lance whips around so fast, Keith hears something crack in his neck.

“ _What?_ ”

Keith opens his mouth, but Lance doesn’t give him a second to say anything.

“Are you _serious_ right now?”

“I’m- yeah?” Keith tries, taken aback by the sheer fury in Lance’s eyes.

“Keith!” Lance hisses. “Those fertile alien bitches were trying to court you!”

“Fertile?”

“Oh my god you’re serious,” Lance groans. “They’re practically _oozing_ pheromones! Look! Even Pidge is flustered!”

Lance nods in Pidge’s direction and now Keith sees the tint of red on Pidge’s ears as she talks to the pink fairy.

“Huh.”

“ _Huh_ ,” Lance imitates Keith mockingly. “I swear I was _this_ close to punch someone. How can you be so clueless!”

Keith frowns.

“I could tell their smell is different I just didn’t immediately associate it with _that_.”

“You’re helpless!” Lance groans again.

“Well, I’m sorry,” Keith spits angrily, “I don’t usually analyze every being I meet if they’re ready to — to court me or whatever! Yours is the only smell I know well enough to distinguish all the nuances anyway.”

Lance’s grip on Keith’s arm goes slack as he stumbles to a stop.

“Really?” Lance breathes, and Keith is surprised to find a deep blush on Lance’s cheeks.

“Um … well yeah?” Keith tries, and the pretty flush on Lance’s face is accompanied by a breathtaking smile.

“Okay, you’re forgiven,” he giggles, wrapping his arms tighter around Keith’s as he starts walking again.

Keith blinks a few times in confusion, but Lance seems happy, so he turns his gaze forward again. However, he can’t help the tired sighs escaping his lips. This whole relationship thing is more complicated than he thought.

* * *

“This is it,” Elva says and turns around.

Keith lowers himself to one knee, taking cover behind a bush next to Shiro. He quickly scans the building in front of them, but it doesn’t seem like any guards are outside. The ground base the fairies mentioned is just another Galra cruiser. The purple lights glow ominously, keeping Keith on edge.

“Shit, this thing is huge,” Hunk whispers, and Keith slightly tilts his head in his direction, not taking his eyes off the entrance.

“Yeah. Do you have any idea where your queen might be?” Pidge asks.

“No,” the pink one says — Keith thinks her name is Nyra, but he’s not sure. “But we can locate her smell when we’re inside.”

“That’s too dangerous,” Keith states, tearing his eyes from the building.

“I’m sure you’d be able to protect us,” Nyra purrs, and Lance loudly clears his throat.

“I hate to say this, but it might be the smartest decision to split up and take them with us,” Shiro says and Keith whips around in surprise.

“Shiro we can do this without them!” he hisses. “They will only slow us down!”

“Keith.” Shiro raises his voice in a way that makes Keith’s mouth snap shut. He presses his lips together and faces forward again. He knows it’s no use to fight Shiro on this.

Keith’s eyes flutter down when he feels a soft touch on his arm, and he sees a yellow, glittery hand pressed to his armor.

“We can help. I promise, we won’t be a burden.”

Keith can see the worry in those dark eyes and he sighs. He doesn’t know why his approval is so important to them, but he gives her a tight nod.

“Fine.”

A wide smile reveals sharp fangs, but weirdly enough it doesn’t look threatening — maybe even cute.

“I don’t know, I have a bad feeling about this,” Hunk whispers.

“Hunk, we did this — how many times? I don’t even know, man,” Lance says, raising his hands. “Anyway, we always made it out alive, so we’re gonna be fine, dude.”

“Yeah, until now,” Hunk huffs. “I would like to keep it that way.”

“You big soft baby,” Pidge laughs and nudges his side. “I’ll stay by your side and look out for you.”

“Awww, thanks, Pidge!” Hunk coos and pulls her close.

“Alright team, we’ve been on a cruiser like this before, you know what to look out for.” Shiro’s firm gaze grazes all of them quickly and they nod in return. “Don’t make any rash decisions and try to lay low.”

Shiro pointedly looks at Keith.

“Don’t worry, Shiro. I’ll make sure Keith stays out of trouble,” Lance teases, slinging an arm around Keith’s shoulder, making him frown with the gesture.

“That… doesn’t reassure me at all, but I guess it’s fine,” Shiro sighs and Lance yelps in protest.

“Pidge what do you think: Will we be able to cover the base in two teams or should I go on my own?”

“Hmmm,” Pidge hums, pulling up a hologram on her wrist. “I think three teams would be better. Like that we can go in from different sides. We should act quickly just … in case, you know, “ Pidge interrupts herself and grimaces apologetically at the fairies.

“Okay,” Shiro confirms, turning to Elva. “Is that alright with you?”

Elva tilts her head, seemingly contemplating Shiro’s question, then suddenly she turns to Keith.

“What do you say?”

“Huh?”

“Do you confirm the plan of your strategist?”

Keith blinks at her, completely caught off guard by the question. His eyes flit to Shiro who only gives him a small shrug.

“Um, yeah?” Keith says tentatively, but Elva seems satisfied.

“Alright. Nyra and I will join your squad then,” she says, nodding in the direction of the pink fairy. So, Keith got her name right after all.

“Hey,” Lance suddenly whispers, crouching down next to Keith. “Stay close to me, okay?”

Keith huffs in amusement when he sees the pout on Lance’s lips and the way he doesn’t take his eyes off of Nyra. He has to say that seeing Lance like that is kind of … nice? He never thought that Lance would be so possessive towards him, dare to say _jealous._

“Alright,” Keith simply says, putting his hands on his knees as he gets up. Lance looks up at him with wide eyes. He probably expected Keith to protest or make fun of him, but it’s not like Keith actually minds this side of Lance. In fact, he can’t quite hide the fond smile that’s sneaking to his lips.

Lance blinks at him and then returns it with a soft smile on his own which makes Keith’s stomach flip.

“Alright then, space ranger partner,” Lance says, eagerly hopping to his feet. “Let’s find this queen and get home!”

* * *

 

Of course, it’s not that easy.

“Shit,” Lance curses as he pulls Keith around the corner, pressing their bodies close to the wall.

They can hear the metallic clunk of sentries walking past them, and Keith holds his breath as the sound slowly declines. He peeks around the corner into the dark hallway and sighs when he sees an empty path.

“These bastards are _everywhere_ ,” Lance hisses close to his ear, which makes Keith turn around. The purple glow of the ship casts dark shadows on Lance’s face, but Keith can still make out his tense expression.

Keith knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he didn’t expect the base to be overrun with sentries. This is harder than it should be, and nausea spreads in Keith’s stomach. They need to get out of here quickly.

“How is it? Did we get any closer?”

He turns around to Elva and Nyra and is surprised to find the pink fairy pressed close to her friend. Seems like he’s not the only one who feels uneasy in this atmosphere.

Elva shakes her head, a desperate expression on her face. “I know we’re going in the right direction, but the smell is still really faint,” she pauses. “I’m afraid we have to go deeper.”

Keith curses under his breath, raising one hand to his helmet to activate the coms when Lance speaks up.

“Guys, we still didn’t find anything, how’s it looking at your end?”

“Same here.” Pidge’s voice sounds crackling over the speakers. “Apparently, we’re not even close.” She can’t hide the frustration in her voice and Keith pulls a face.

“Negative,” Shiro affirms as well. “I’m heading in the right direction, but that’s about it.”

Lance lets out the curse that Keith feels on the tip of his tongue as well.

“Roger,” Lance says then and his gaze falls on Keith. “Guess we have to move forward.” There’s a sheepish smile on his face, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Seems so,” Keith sighs, turning to the fairies. “Alright, lead the way.”

Elva nods, expression tight as she stretches out her slim arm. “That way!”

* * *

 

It’s hard to tell how much time has passed when you’re trapped in the dark halls of a spaceship, but it feels like it’s been hours since Keith saw the sky.

They avoided combat until now, but Keith still feels a drop of sweat roll down his temple. He would love to wipe his forehead, but his helmet is in the way. Seems like the heat is really getting to him now.

He glances at Lance who’s walking close to him, and Keith’s heavy breath steams up his visor. Although Lance was whining earlier, the heat doesn’t seem to bother him now. His eyes are sharp and focused on the path ahead.

“There!”

Elva’s voice cuts through Keith’s foggy thoughts, and he stumbles to a halt when Lance abruptly stops.

“What is it?” Lance asks, before Keith can form a coherent sentence.

“I can smell our queen!” Elva says, eyes glinting — in excitement or fear, Keith can’t tell.

“She’s just down the corridor!” Nyra chimes in, pointing at the huge glowing door at the end of the hallway.

“Oh thank god,” Lance groans. “Let’s get this over with quickly!”

Lance turns, immediately hurrying down the path, and Keith follows him blindly. He blinks, irritated when a drop of sweat rolls into his eyes, and then he furrows his brows. His nose twitches when he catches a waft of a smell that makes his stomach squirm. He can’t quite place it, but he feels like something is going completely wrong.

“Lance, hold up,” he says, surprised at the winded sound of his own voice.

Lance, however, doesn’t seem to hear him. So, Keith follows him, determined to make him stop before he opens the door, but his chest feels heavier with every step he takes in that direction.

“Shiro, we found the queen!” Keith hears Lance say into the coms.

“Really? Thank god!” Hunk groans in relief.

“Copy. Call us if you need help,” Shiro says.

Keith doesn’t know why, but his stomach drops when he hears how the coms go dead.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Keith wheezes, when he finally catches up with Lance. “We should be careful.”

Lance stops in his tracks and turns to look at Keith. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise as his gaze flits over Keith’s features.

“Hey are you okay? You don’t look so hot.”

Keith almost scoffs at that. “It’s sweltering in here.”

Lance furrows his brows as he studies Keith.

“No, not really.”

He takes another long look at Keith.

“Maybe we should wait for back-up,” he says, eyes serious, and for some reason Keith’s shoulders sag in relief.

“Yeah, sounds go-“

“ _Enough of this!_ ”

Keith can’t even react when Elva dashes past them as fast as lighting. And then everything happens at once.

He sees how Lance’s eyes widen in surprise; feels the sharp gust of wind as the door whooshes open, a hard pressure on his back.

Then he stumbles forward — and the world comes crashing down around him.

The overpowering smell of another alpha infiltrates his nose, overruns him with so much force his stomach rolls, and his legs buckle underneath him.

“What the- _Keith_!” Lance screams, barely catching Keith by the crook of his arm. He still doesn’t manage to hold him up and Keith crumbles to the floor.

“Keith?! _Keith!_ ” Lance’s voice is too shrill, and Keith can smell his panic even through the thick, obtrusive alpha stench. His heart is beating a mile a minute, sitting at the back of his throat, and he can’t breathe.

“Keith? Come on, talk to me! What’s going on?” Lance crouches down next to him, a hand settling between his shoulder blades.

Keith takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but the smell is right there, heavy on his tongue. He gags, feeling the sting of acid on the back of his throat, and he chokes out a pitiful noise. A noise he’s never made before.

The wail of a surrendering alpha.

Lance goes rigid at the sound, and Keith’s stomach clenches in shame and fear. He can’t think straight, the pressure of that strong presence is keeping him down, both physically and mentally. But he knows something is off.

“Sh-Shiro!” Lance stutters. Keith’s eyes flit up at that and even through his hazy gaze he can see Lance’s pale complexion and the shaky hand he’s pressing to his helmet. “It’s — It’s Keith, he’s down, and I’m — I don’t know what’s going on, and he won’t talk to me!”

Lance is radiating pure fear now, and Keith groans in pain. He wants to stand up, pull Lance close and reassure him. But he can’t. Not when the stench of another alpha — a stronger alpha — is forcing him to curl up in submission.

All Keith manages to do is lift his head.

The world swims before his eyes. He squeezes them close for a second and focuses all his strength on taking in the sight in front of him.

There she is. The fairy queen, and source of that foul, overpowering stench. She’s bigger than Elva and Nyra who are fluttering next to her; her skin a dark glittery green, and her dark eyes fixed on Keith.

Keith’s mouth goes dry, and he groans when panic rolls over his body, settling heavy in his stomach. All his instincts are telling him to run, to flee this territory, but his legs won’t move.

He flinches when the com crackles in his ear and Shiro’s sharp voice cuts through the ringing in his ears.

“ _Shit,_ Lance! It’s the fairies!” Shiro curses under his breath, his heavy panting loud in Keith’s ears.

“I’m under attack, hold on a little longer!”

“Same here,” Pidge grunts over the coms, and Keith’s stomach sinks. His team is in danger; his _unclaimed_ omega is in the territory of a stronger alpha, and he can’t even move a finger. Keith grits his teeth, helplessly balls his hands into fists, and channels all of his energy into one thought.

_Move._

A flurry in blue catches his attention, and the next thing he knows is that Lance is on his feet, bayard ready and aimed at the fairies.

“How are you still moving?” Elva screeches “Your queen is down, you shouldn’t be able to move!”

Oh.

“Well seems like your stupid pheromones aren’t working on me, bitch,” Lance bites out, and then he opens the fire.

The fairies are moving so fast that Keith’s head is spinning as he tries to watch them. Lance curses and takes a step back, activating his shield as he positions himself in front of Keith.

Keith’s vision swims and it takes all his strength to keep himself upright on his forearms. He hears the sound of an opening door, and the split of a second relief washes over him.

Then Lance curses.

“Oh, come on! Are you _serious?_!”

Keith hears the telltale metallic stomping of sentries, and in the next moment the air is filled with laser blasts.

Lance’s shoulder gets ripped back and he yelps in pain.

Something wet splatters on Keith’s cheek.

Blood.

Lance’s blood.

A deep growl rips from Keith’s lips as he bares his teeth, pushing himself up with every ounce of strength that is left in his body. Fury is boiling in his veins, and he _has_ to get up, has to fight, has to protect.

But then a loud screech vibrates through the air and Keith’s arms give out. He crashes face-first into the ground and moans in pain as he feels every fiber of his being curling up in submission and fear. His ears are ringing and the last thing he hears is the muffled scream of his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GASP! CLIFFHANGER!  
> At first this chapter was a little longer, but I decided to let you guys suffer for a while longer huehuehue :3c  
> As always PLEASE let me know what you thought! :D I will love EVERYTHING you write me: Keysmashes, cute smileys (ﾉ≧ڡ≦) or long ESSAYS about every detail you noticed or liked! Honestly as a writer I'm always curious how many things my readers pick up, and I'm SO delighted when I see you guys mention some of these :D
> 
> ANYWAY it felt like this chapter has a lot of different scenes, so I'm gonna list up a few things that I'm dying to know of you guys! :D
> 
> 1\. What did you think of the push-up scene? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) (Im curious if you guys like the way I write their relationship and attraction to each other laksjw)  
> 2\. What about protective/ jealous Lance? :D  
> 3\. Did I manage to fool you with the fairies? Did it take you by surprise? Were you suspicious?? WHAT DID YOU THINK? WHAT ABOUT THE ACTION SCENES?  
> 4\. I'm always SO curious to hear which scene made you react the most, which moment had the most impact or was there something that actually made you wheeze, laugh or shout! :D  
> 5\. And of COURSE it's always a delight to know if there were any specific lines or dialog that stood out for you! :D
> 
> Thank you SO much for reading, and P L E A S E feel free to come talk to me! Here or on Tumblr as well :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo BOI here we are with a new chapter! :D Sorry for that cliffhanger AHAHA! BUT I'M SO HAPPY I COULD CRY ;A; Thank you SO much for all the support! It means so much to me, I can never put it into words! Especially with this fic, because I put so much work into it and to see that you notice all these details I put into it is just the BEST THING EVER! :D Even if I feel weird saying this myself but I'm so proud of this chapter you're (hopefully) about to read. It's not as long as the others, but it has two big scenes that I absolutly loved writing! :D 
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this one as well! :D And since some of you really liked the questions I posted last time, I'll try to come up with some again at the end of this haha :D

* * *

 

Keith rips his eyes open and bolts upwards as a sharp gasp tears his lungs open.

 _"Lance!_ ”

“Shhh! Keith, hey! I’m here, it’s okay!”

Keith’s eyes dart around wildly, heart thundering in his chest. He flinches when a hand lands on his biceps until his gaze finally settles on a pair of wide and worried eyes. Blue eyes.

“Lance?” he wheezes in between heavy pants.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Lance says, voice lowered to a soothing whisper. His warm hand lands on top of Keith’s, and Keith blinks in confusion when he finds it fisted tightly into Lance’s shirt. He slowly loosens his death grip, fingers trembling as his tense muscles twitch and convulse.

“Shhhh, it’s fine, we’re back at the castle. You’re safe,” Lance whispers, leaning in to press his mouth against Keith’s forehead. Keith exhales a shaky breath and pushes into the touch. He wraps his arms around Lance, pulling him close, scrunching up the fabric of Lance’s shirt with how tightly he’s holding onto him.

“It’s okay, everyone is safe,” Lance says, pressing a kiss to the top of Keith’s hair. He wraps his arms around Keith’s head, and tugs his face securely into his neck as he starts purring.

Keith’s heart is still beating too fast, and he swallows thickly around the lump in his throat, but he feels how his shoulder slowly relax as he inhales Lance’s scent with every breath he takes.

“There you go,” Lance whispers as he nuzzles into Keith’s hair.

“What happened,” Keith croaks, voice muffled into Lance’s skin.

“You passed out,” Lance says. “Gave me a good scare.” He chuckles but there’s not a hint of amusement in his voice.

Suddenly Keith rips his head back, placing his hands on Lance’s chest.

“You were shot! Are you okay?”

Lance’s surprised expression melts into a fond smile. “Yeah, it wasn’t bad. Only took me thirty minutes in the pod.”

Keith’s face falls in horror. This is his fault.

“Hey, there! I survived worse injuries, that was nothing!” Lance says, mouth quirking up into a playful smile.

“Lance, I’m- “ Keith starts but he gets interrupted by the sound of an opening door.

“Oh! Seems like the sleeping beauty is finally awake,” Pidge says, grinning as she pushes her glasses up.

“He woke up a minute ago,” Lance explains and makes a move to step back, but Keith quickly snags his arm before he gets far. Lance looks down at him in surprise but smiles softly as his hand lands in Keith’s hair one more time.

“Seems like he’s still a little out of it.” He chuckles, and Keith relaxes.

He’d probably lose his mind if Lance left him right now.

“Unsurprisingly,” Pidge says with a nod as she steps into the room. “That fairy pheromones hit you quite hard after all.”

A shiver runs down Keith’s spine at the thought of that smell, and Lance soothingly brushes a strand of hair out of his forehead.

“Yeah, he was out like a light, I didn’t know what was going on,” Lance explains, and Keith can smell the sour spike of fear in his scent.

“You didn’t smell it at all?” Keith finally asks, voice still rough.

“None of us did,” Pidge says, and Keith turns to look at her as she steps up next to him. “We just saw you lying on the ground when we finally made it.”

She fixes her glasses with a trembling hand, and Keith reaches out without thinking, intertwining his fingers with hers.

“I’m okay now,” he says. Pidge’s eyes go wide, and then her chin trembles as she tries to hold in a sob, eyes swimming with tears.

“Thank god, you idiot,” she cries, pushing up her glasses as she wipes her eyes with her forearm. A loud hiccup leaves her lips, and Lance chuckles as he ruffles her hair.

“But why did the fairies attack us?” Keith asks, directed at Lance to give Pidge the chance to compose herself.

“Seems like they were working with the Galra,” Lance spits. “It was a trap from the beginning.”

Keith’s grip on them tightens involuntarily.

“They attacked out of nowhere,” Pidge confirms, sniffling. “Seems like they thought we were easy prey once they took care of you.”

Lance’s lips spread into a wide grin. “They were pretty useless once I managed to take out their queen.”

Lance puffs out his chest in pride, and Pidge rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, after we came for your rescue.”

“Rude! I would’ve been able to deal with them on my own!”

“Lance, none of us would’ve been able to do that. Not even Shiro. I’m impressed you held out for so long,” Pidge admits, and Keith’s stomach drops.

Lance could’ve died.

Lance could’ve died while he was unconscious and useless on the floor.

“Well! That’s all in the past now,” Lance speaks up. “Let’s tell the others Keith is alright, and then we’ll give you some peace and quiet,” he says directed at Keith.

“No!” Keith yelps, both hands flying up to grab his wrists.

He feels how heat raises to his face when he sees Lance’s surprised expression, and he lowers his head.

“Um,” he starts, and clears his throat. “I’d feel better if … if I had everyone… around me,” he admits, voice getting quieter until it’s barely a whisper.

Keith feels his ears burning in embarrassment, waiting for them to make fun of him, and he flinches when a hand ruffles his hair.

“Alright, Mr. Grumpy pants, I don’t think anyone’s gonna complain about that.”

“In fact, I think everyone would like that,” Pidge adds with a soft smile that Keith mirrors shyly.

* * *

 

A few moments later Keith finds himself wrapped into a blanket and tugged securely under Hunk’s arm. Allura is resting next to him, trying to read — which is probably impossible with how loud Lance is talking.

“I mean okay, your attack was impressive, but did you see the final shot I made?”

“Yes, Lance. I was there,” Shiro says, sounding exasperated but there’s a fond smile on his lips.

“Let me tell you it’s not easy taking an accurate shot like that with one wrecked shoulder,” Lance says, a proud grin plastered to his lips as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re amazing, we know,” Pidge deadpans, without looking up from her tablet.

“Damn right I am!”

“Well, you still ran right into the trap.”

“Hey! None of us suspected that alien bitches!” Lance spits. “You were all over that pink one!”

“I wasn’t!” Pidge sputters, finally lifting her head with an offended expression and a flush on her cheeks.

“Yeaaaaah, sureeee. If it makes you feel better.” Lance looks smug as he waves her off with one hand, and Keith can see the way her shoulders tense.

“Guys, stop it,” Hunk speaks up. “Besides, I was the only one who said that I didn’t have a good feeling about it.”

Lance throws his head back and groans.

“Well, that was probably more thanks to your natural untrusting nature,” Shiro says with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t suspect anything at all either.”

A thoughtful silence drapes itself over the room like a blanket, and Keith digs his nails into the skin of his upper-arms.

“I still don’t get it,” he whispers into the silence. He’s staring at his knees, but he can feel everyone looking at him. Keith swallows. “Why would they work with the Galra?”

Hunk hums as he inches closer, enveloping Keith in his soothing scent. “That’s a good question.”

“The Galra are still a powerful force in the universe,” Allura says, closing her books with a thud that draws Keith’s eyes to her. “Who knows what kind of methods they used to convince them.”

Keith can feel the same anger he sees in her eyes boiling up in his stomach. In moments like these he realizes how powerless they really are in the face of such a huge empire. Keith chest tightens, and he grits his teeth.

His anger must be rolling off of him in waves because he feels how Hunk tenses next to him.

“Well, we didn’t really have any time to ask them,” Pidge says, pushing her glasses up with her index finger.

“Unfortunately,” Allura sighs. “The information would’ve been useful.”

She casts her eyes to the floor. “Maybe we could’ve even saved them,” she whispers, and those soft words sink into Keith’s stomach like a stone.

They don’t know what happened to the fairies.

They’re probably dead, or in the hands of the Galra.

And it’s all his fault.

Keith grabs the blanket in his lap, balling his hands into fists around it. Anger is burning in his throat; anger and shame.

It was his first mission as the team alpha — and he led his pack right into hell.

He should have known better. He should have trusted his instincts.

He shouldn’t be entrusted with a role like this.

“We can’t save all of them, Allura,” Shiro says, voice soft and filled with compassion. “Our first priority was to make it out alive.”

They would have been able to make it, to fight and talk to them, convince them. If only Keith had been able to help. If they didn’t have to take care of him instead.

Keith’s throat tightens as he raises his shoulders, and he feels Hunk shift uncomfortably against him.

“Keith? Buddy?” he asks, voice trembling with uncertainty.

Keith can’t speak. Not with his anger sitting hot in his chest, daring to spill out of him if he opens his lips. He flinches when someone moves in front of him, his muscles so tense he can’t quite control them. Lance’s mellow smell surrounds him, but he doesn’t lift his head.

If Lance crouches down to look at him, Keith will punch his face.

Lance doesn’t.

“Hey, Keith. What’s going on?”

His teeth grind as he clenches his jaw, trying to suppress the fury boiling underneath his heart. He finally wrenches his mouth open, his voice sounding like gravel.

“Why is no one blaming me?”

There’s a beat of silence, and then a flurry of reactions.

“What?!“

“Why would we do that?”

“It wasn’t your fault!”

Keith surges out of his seat, blanket pooling around his feet with a soft thud.

“ _Yes, it was!_ ”

Lance is looking at him, eyes wide and mouth open in a look of surprise.

“Why do you-“

" _Because_ ,” Keith spits out. “I’m supposed to be the alpha! And yet I got my pack into danger!”

Lance’s eyes soften, and Keith knows that he wants to say something, but he doesn’t want to hear it.

“Don’t,” Keith growls. _“_ I know I fucked up. If it wasn’t for me being — being so _useless_. So completely overwhelmed by that stupid alien stench, we might’ve been able to save them.” Keith’s voice breaks at the end of the sentence, his nails digging into the palms of his hands.

“You don’t know that,” Pidge says quietly, voice quivering.

“Yeah,” Hunk adds,” There were the soldiers as well, even with you, there’s no guarantee that we-“

“I should have _known_ ,” Keith hisses. “It’s my job to protect you, and yet I-“

“Keith.” Shiro’s voice is calm, firm — and Keith finds his gaze drawn to his tight expression.

“No one knew. I didn’t suspect a thing and yet you’re not blaming me.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because you were still _there_. You were protecting the others while I was just -“ Keith croaks, words dying on his tongue as he struggles to speak around the tight lump in his throat.

“We barely made it out of there at all,” Shiro says. “One person wouldn’t have made a difference.”

“Yeah,” Lance says, voice like velvet. “Don’t burden yourself with that, Keith.”

He doesn’t want to hear it.

“It’s not like any of us could’ve changed the outcome,” Lance adds.

“That’s not the _point_ ,” Keith snarls. “I let you guys down. I _abandoned_ you.”

“Keith,” Lance starts, eyes gentle yet filled with worry.

He takes a step forward, reaching out to touch — and Keith can’t take it anymore.

The tight pressure of anger in his chest wells up, burns his throat as it spills into his mouth.

He can’t help the way his lips pull back as he bares his teeth.

" _Don’t touch me._ ”

Keith knows something is wrong the moment the words roll off his tongue.

Because he just gave an order.

Not as a paladin.

Not as Keith.

He gave an order as the alpha.

 

Lance’s eyes go wide in surprise, his fingers freezing just a breath away from Keith’s arm.

“ _Oh_ ,” he breathes — and then his legs buckle underneath him.

Lance collapses to the ground with a loud bang that seems to echo through the room.

The silence that follows is thick in the air, and Keith can only stare down at Lance in horror as the realization of what he just did sinks into his gut like ice.

“What have you _done_?” Hunk’s voice cuts through the air and Keith flinches.

“I-,” Keith croaks. “I didn’t-“

Hunk rushes to Lance’s side, crouching down next to him.

“Lance, are you okay?”

“I’m — I’m fine,” Lance stutters, trembling hands reaching out for Hunk’s support. There’s a bright red flush of embarrassment on his cheeks as he tries to get up on unsteady legs.

“Lance,” Keith says, voice hoarse as he raises his hand, “I’m sorry, I didn’t-“

Lance flinches so hard he backs into Hunk.

There’s a flash of fear in those bright blue eyes, a sour tinge in his tender scent — and Keith’s stomach drops.

Because it’s directed at him.

He pulls his hand back, tucks it tightly to his chest as he clenches his jaw.

Realization dawns on Lance’s face, and the look of fear turns into guilt.

“Keith-“

Keith doesn’t wait to hear the rest of it. He spins on his heels, his eyes graze Pidge and Shiro and Allura — all of them wearing the same scared and worried expression that sends hot acid up Keith’s throat.

He rushes out of the room, his emotions swirling inside his head, his stomach. His chest is so tight he can’t breathe. Hot tears are stinging in the corner of his eyes.

He wants to run.

He wants to go down to the hanger, jump into Red and _leave._

But he can’t.

Because after everything, he still can’t bear to leave his family. His heart is aching more and more with ever brisk step he takes away from them. All his instincts are telling him to turn around, to support, to care for them, for _Lance_ — but his legs won’t stop moving.

He doesn’t stop as he opens the door to the training room, he doesn’t stop as he activates the combat sequence, he doesn’t stop as he charges at the gladiator barehanded, he doesn’t stop when his knuckles start bleeding with every punch he throws, he doesn’t stop when his lungs crackle with every deep breath he takes, he doesn’t stop when the hot tears spill from his eyes and drop from his chin as he screams.

He doesn’t stop until he can’t feel anything anymore.

* * *

 

Even buried deep into his blankets, Keith can smell him the moment Lance enters his room. He doesn’t know how much time has passed since he left the training deck to hide away in his room, but he’s grateful that they gave him some time. Keith still tenses, grabbing the blanket tighter and pulling it close.

A few soft steps.

Then silence.

“Hey,” Lance whispers. “Open up for me?”

His voice sounds so small and gentle that Keith can’t possibly resist him. He reluctantly lifts the blanket, wincing at the pain that flares up in his bruised knuckles as he moves his fingers.

The mattress dips under Lance’s weight when he carefully lowers himself down, moving like he’s afraid Keith will bolt at the tiniest jostle.

Lance should be more worried about himself.

Keith drapes the blanket around both of them once Lance is settled, and then he finally looks into Lance’s face.

Lance’s lips curve into a soft smile, and the light in his blue eyes is so gentle and warm that Keith lets out a long breath.

“Hi,” Lance whispers.

“Hey,” Keith mumbles back, and that seems to be enough for Lance because the smile on his lips grows even wider.

His eyes flicker down to Keith’s hand laying limply between them, and a soft crease appears between his eyebrows.

“Geez, what are you doing,” Lance sighs, reaching out to take Keith’s hand. He raises it up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the palm. It’s warm against Keith’s skin, and his heart skips a beat at the gentleness directed at him.

He doesn’t deserve this.

“Lance,” he croaks, surprised by the rough sound of his own voice. He grimaces, heart thundering in his chest as he opens his mouth to try again. “Lance, I’m sorry.”

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. This isn’t enough.

“I can’t- this has never happened to me before, and I know that’s not an excuse, but —,” Keith stops mid sentence, pulling his hand out of Lance’s hold to cover his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

His voice is breaking, and he can feel the hot sting of tears in the corner of his eyes. He doesn’t have the right to cry, so he swallows thickly around the lump forming in his throat.

“Hey, look at me,” Lance whispers, fingers pulling at Keith’s hand, but he won’t let him. “Keith, please.”

He gives in, slowly letting Lance peel away his protection. He’s met with the same fond expression he saw earlier, and it never fails to make his breath hitch in his throat.

“It’s okay.”

Keith opens his mouth to protest, but Lance won’t let him.

“No, listen to me.”

Keith is stunned into silence by the serious tone in Lance’s voice.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but — it’s natural,” Lance says, taking Keith’s hand in his. “You’re an alpha, I’m an omega. Those are things we can‘t change. We have to accept them.”

Keith groans, rubbing his face with the back of the hand Lance is still holding.

“Now that we’re a pack, and we’re in a relationship, things like that may happen. I know, it sucks and it’s stupid, but that’s just how things are, man,” Lance sighs, letting go of Keith’s hand to push a strand of hair out of Keith’s eyes.

“Keith, I want you to know that I don’t blame you for what happened. You were stressed and scared, and I was too pushy,” Lance says, brows knitting together in worry as he slides his fingers through Keith’s hair.

“It’s not your fault,” Keith mumbles, pressing his face into the palm of Lance’s hand. “I lost control. Again.”

“Keith,” Lance sighs, his voice filled with sorrow.

“I’m- I’m scared,” Keith whispers. “I’m terrified of hurting you again. I just — I want to protect you, but it feels like — like _I’m_ the greatest danger to you.”

Lance sighs, and then he reaches out, wraps his hands around Keith’s neck and pulls him against his chest. Keith stiffens in surprise, but quickly melts into the familiar smell and the warmth of his body. He presses his face into Lance’s chest, fingers twisting tightly into Lance’s shirt.

“First of all,” Lance sighs. “That’s sexist.”

“ _What?_ ”

Keith scoots back, eyes wide in horror as he tries to look at Lance, but Lance sighs again and pulls Keith back against his chest.

“You didn’t worry about me getting hurt back when you thought I was a beta.”

“I’m-,” Keith chokes, fear settling into his stomach. “Lance, I never meant to-“

“Geez, relax I’m kidding,” Lance chuckles, playfully patting Keith’s back. Keith’s shoulders drop in relief.

“How can you joke about this,” he mumbles into Lance’s shirt, and he feels the vibration of his laugh.

“No, really, Keith. I want you to understand this. Yes, I’m an omega, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean that I can’t look out for myself.”

This time when Keith scoots back to look at him, Lance lets him.

“I know that,” Keith says, and it’s the truth. He has seen firsthand how talented and strong Lance is. That doesn’t keep him from being worried.

“And that also means that I can kick your ass if you ever do something I don’t want,” Lance adds with a confident grin that makes Keith huff in amusement.

“I’m tough and I can look out for myself. I’ve been doing it all this time. That doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate your protectiveness because _damn_ that’s hot.”

“You,” Keith breathes out. “You’re unbelievable.”

He can’t fight the small chuckle that’s leaving his lips, and the grin on Lance’s lips grows even wider.

“I know.”

Keith presses his forehead against Lance’s chest and takes a deep breath. ”I never wanted to make you feel like this,” he mumbles. ”I know you’re not weak, it’s just that — I don’t … trust myself, I guess.”

“Keith,” Lance whispers, pressing his lips to the top of his head.

“Why are you so scared of breaking me? I’m not made of porcelain, you know?” he chuckles, his warm breath ghosting over Keith’s skin.

“You truly have no idea how amazing you are,” Lance sighs. “You know, back in the garrison, I got into heat twice a year. I was on suppressants, but we had to make sure that everything was still … operational.”

Keith snorts, but doesn’t interrupt Lance’s story.

“Hunk helped me back then, not like … you know. He was just taking care of me, bringing me food and water, and stuff but … it was hard for him. Being in the same room. A _beta_ couldn’t handle it. And yet you, a full-fledged _alpha_ , were locked in a small room with an omega in heat pressed up to you, and you didn’t even _touch_ me. And damn that’s impressive.”

“But I wanted to touch you,” Keith admits, and the heat rising to his cheeks is beyond his control.

“And I wanted you to touch me,” Lance chuckles, voice hoarse, and it sends a shiver down Keith’s spine. Especially when Lance’s nails scratch over the sensitive skin of his neck. “But you were sane enough to know that it would be stupid, and I’m entirely grateful for that.”

Keith doesn’t reply. He closes his eyes, taking in Lance’s scent. He knows that it will take him a while longer to accept that he’s not a threat; that Lance doesn’t see him as one; that Lance isn’t a frail thing he can break so easily.

“The point is,” Lance sighs, and then he moves them, so he can look right into Keith’s eyes as he cradles his face between his hands.

“I trust you.”

Keith’s heart lurches into his throat.

“I said it back then, and I say it as many times as it takes: I trust you with my life,” Lance presses, and Keith can’t see a hint of doubt in those blue eyes, shining brightly through the darkness.

“Okay,” Keith croaks.

Lance smiles at him, his expression so fond it’s almost unbearable.

Keith’s chest tightens. He wants to believe in Lance. If he can’t trust himself right now, he wants to believe in Lance instead.

His heart is beating wildly in his chest. It always does when he’s so close to Lance. He wonders if this will ever change.

He hopes it never does.

“I love you.”

Lance’s eyes widen and his lips part in surprise.

“I really do,” Keith breathes, pushing close to press his forehead against Lance’s. He can feel the shaky breath Lance exhales as he shifts closer, arms tugging Keith securely against him.

“Geez, don’t just say that, my heart stopped for a second,” Lance sighs dramatically.

“I love you too.”

And right now, the sweetness of these words, whispered against his lips, are all the reassurance Keith needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH thank you SO much for reading! :D This chapter was quite emotional wasn't it? :D I really hope you liked it! :D AS ALWAYS I would love to hear you scream senseless things at me! Send me those weird or cute emojis! (≖ᴗ≖✿) I love EVERY comment you guys write me!! :D
> 
> NOw for this one I would just LOVE to know what this chapter made you feel!  
> Where you shocked about what Keith did? Could you understand why he felt that way? Did you worry about Lance or Keith?? Did you expect Lance to visit Keith, and what did you think about the things Lance said?!  
> Of COURSE I would also love to hear if you had a favorite line, or passage :D Maybe something that got a physical reaction out of you! HAHA :D
> 
> AND one last question: Are you excited for the next chapter? Because there's one tag up there that I didn't fullfill yet ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELCOME to the last chapter of this fic! :D I want to start this with saying: Thank you. Seriously from the bottom of my heart. The reactions I got for this fic have been _amazing_ and I'm so SO grateful for all the lovely comments I got from you guys ;A; I put so much work into this story and to see you guys appreciate all the details is just the best thing ever ;A; 
> 
> I wanted to finish this story before the new season airs, because we all know that the fandom is gonna be a mess after this LMAO :D (WHO IS EXCITED BECAUSE I AM EXCITED AF)! ANYWAY I'm quite nervous about this one because WELL it's the first time I wrote full on smut AND I REALLY REALLY HOPE I COULD DELIVER AHAaksjhakw SO PLEASE feedback for this would be really REALLY appreciated! :D I'm gonna say more about this at the end of the chapter!

* * *

 

The sound of Keith’s bare feet echo through the hall as he rubs his eyes and yawns loudly. Lance told him more than once to wear his lion slippers, but Keith likes the feel of the cold floor beneath his skin.

He steps into the lounge and wipes a tear from the corner of his eyes.

“Morning.”

Keith blinks blearily until his eyes focus and he sees Pidge sitting on one of the sofas, eyes trained on the laptop she balances on her knees.

“Mornin’,” Keith mumbles, eyes still only half open as he scuffles over to her. He ungracefully plops down on the sofa, sitting so close their shoulders are pressed together, and tugs his legs underneath him.

“Here,” Pidge says without looking up and hands Keith her hot drink that she left on the table.

“Thanks,” Keith slurs, releasing a content sigh with the first sip. It kind of reminds him of tea, but the liquid is thicker and unfamiliar on his tongue.

Pidge doesn’t reply, only pushes a little closer and Keith closes his eyes. The cup is warm in his hands and a pleased shiver runs down his spine. He hums and takes a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent of the beverage — and Pidge’s. It fills him with a warmth he can’t possibly describe, but his fingers itch with the desire to pull her closer.

It took him a while after the incident with Lance to get close to the others again. He knew that they didn’t blame him for what he did. For making Lance kneel in front of him in submission — but Keith did. Still does.

It will probably take him some more time to accept the amount of trust his pack has in him. But he’s doing his best. He sees the way Lance acts around the team, easily slipping into the role of a caretaker, as if it’s ingrained in his very being. Keith really wishes he were that confident about his nature.

He also saw how easily Lance had picked Pidge up and put her into his lap, pressing his face into the crook of her neck to inhale her scent. Pidge had been mildly annoyed — but she let him do it.

And Keith had been jealous.

Because he wanted that too.

That easy closeness. Like a family.

So he had tried, and at first it was horribly awkward and embarrassing, when he sat close too Pidge, blushing as she eyed him confused and warily. Luckily Pidge realized what he was trying to do and didn’t comment on it. Instead, she had smiled and leaned into him.

Keith doesn’t hesitate to put his head on her shoulder now, blinking lazily as he stares at her laptop screen, not even trying to decipher what he’s seeing. He takes a deep breath. Who knows how long Pidge will have the soft smell of a pup?

“Where’s everyone?” Keith asks after a comfortable moment of silence.

“Hunk and Lance are at the med bay for a check-up, Allura and the others are scheming or something.”

“Hmmmmmm,” Keith hums, pressing his face into the fabric of Pidge’s shirt. “Imma hit the training deck.”

“Without breakfast?” Pidge asks, her shoulder shifting as she turns her head to look at him. Keith knows her eyebrows are raised without having to look at her.

“Hmmm, yeah,” Keith replies, still not moving. “I hate training with a full stomach.”

Pidge scoffs. “You could also take it easy for once, you know. Just a suggestion.”

“No.”

This time Keith’s answer comes out firm and more awake.

Pidge sighs.

“Then at least finish your tea.”

“You mean your tea.”

“Whatever,” Pidge huffs, but Keith can hear the smile in her voice.

Keith snuggles closer. Maybe he can spare another few minutes.

* * *

 

Keith grunts as he deflects another blow from the gladiator. He shouldn’t have chosen the extra program Hunk wrote for him.

After spending so many hours in here, Keith had memorized every move of the gladiator, so he had asked Hunk to write a new one for him. The mischievous grin on Hunk’s face _did_ worry him back then, but he had no idea that soft and gentle Hunk would create a program this ruthless.

Well Keith did ask for a challenge.

“Fuck,” Keith hisses as his shoulder gets ripped back with a painful snap. He stumbles a few steps back, wiping the sweat from his chin with his forearm. He’s already breathing hard after only thirty minutes of training. Maybe he really should’ve eaten breakfast first. He needs to learn to listen to his family.

“End training sequences,” he pants, relaxing his stance as the bot dies down with a whir. He raises his shirt to wipe his face and takes a deep breath. He only needs a short breather, maybe drink something too. He’s not ready to give up on training just yet. Keith knows he’s stubborn and unreasonable, but that’s just who he is.

He drops the empty water pouch on the floor after draining it in one long sip and gets back into his fighting stance.

“Okay,” he says with a playful grin as he lifts his sword. “Let’s see what you got.”

The door whooshes open before Keith can start the sequence.

“Keith!”

Keith only has a second to register Lance’s voice, turn his head, and see the boy storming towards him.

“Wha—” he makes, startled, but the breath gets punched out of his lungs when Lance crashes into him without stopping. Keith curses as he loses his balance, but he instinctually grabs Lance’s waist. He winces in pain when they tumble down, Lance’s weight pushing him even harder into the floor.

“What the _fuck_ , Lance,” Keith hisses, when he regains his breath. He opens his eyes to glare at his boyfriend, but his heart leaps into his throat when he sees the look on Lance’s face.

He’s hovering over Keith, holding himself up on his forearms on both sides of Keith’s head — and he’s _glowing_.

Lance is beaming down at him with the widest smile Keith has ever seen. His cheeks are flushed, and his bangs fall into his bright blue eyes, sparkling in sheer excitement.

“Keith,” he says breathlessly, and the sound of his name makes Keith’s stomach flip. Before he can catch his breath Lance is leaning down, pressing warm lips to his.

_Oh._

Keith’s hands find Lance’s hips, and he’s rewarded with a pleased sound. Lance pushes closer, a small sigh escaping him as he parts his lips. A tingling heat is burning low in Keith’s stomach when Lance licks into his mouth, plush lips sliding wetly against his.

Keith meets him with the same intensity, excitement buzzing under his skin. Lance’s smell surrounds him, thick with arousal, and a deep growl rumbles out of Keith’s chest as he pushes up eagerly, reveling in the sexy gasp that Lance breathes against his lips.

Keith wants to flip them around, push Lance down and kiss him until his body melts beneath him — but Lance leans back, and Keith almost whines at the loss of those soft lips against his.

He blearily blinks up at Lance, and his heart skips a beat. Lance’s lips are red, he’s breathing heavy and there’s a delicious flush on his cheeks. Keith groans, ready to pull him back down, but Lance won’t let him.

“I have something to say,” Lane pants, the wide grin back on his lips. Keith hums, leaning up to press a kiss to the corner of Lance’s lips.

“Can’t it wait?” he mumbles against Lance’s jaw, leaving a kiss on the warm skin of his neck, which earns him a beautiful sigh and a shiver. “You’re the one who started this, so you have to live with the consequences.”

Lance giggles, a wonderful sound that makes Keith’s heart flutter.

“Hunk gave me the okay,” Lance whispers, and Keith freezes.

“He says I’m all healed up and ready to go.”

Keith stomach drops, turning the fuzzy warm feeling into ice.

“Keith?”

Keith flops back with a groan, and Lance looks down at him with furrowed brows.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Lance asks, a worried edge to his voice.

Keith doesn’t reply. His throat feels tight and a wave of nausea rolls over his body.

Lance immediately catches onto it, and rolls to the side, giving Keith much-needed room to breathe. Keith presses the heels of his hands into his eyes and takes in a shivering breath.

“Hey, Keith, talk to me,” Lance whispers, a little more urgent as he places a gentle hand on Keith’s cheek.

Keith only groans again.

“I’m fine,” he presses out.

Lance scoffs. “No, obviously you’re not. I can smell your distress.”

Keith curses. Stupid omega senses.

“I’m sorry,” he groans. “I’m just—”

“Worried?” Lance suggests.

Keith huffs. “Yeah.”

“Keith,” Lance says, voice sweet and gentle as he rubs his thumb against his cheekbone. “There’s nothing to worry about. Haven’t I told you? I’m not that frail.”

“I know,” Keith groans. He really does. That doesn’t mean he can just stop being scared. “I can’t help it. I still have nightmares about that time, and I just—”

“It’s okay, Keith,” Lance interrupts him, and gently tugs at his wrists. “Hey, won’t you look at me?” he chuckles softly and Keith slowly complies, turning his head to the side.

Lance’s eyes melt into a fond expression when Keith’s gaze meets his.

Keith exhales sharply and the tension fades from his shoulders.

“Man, you sure are a handful,” Lance laughs, and Keith grimaces. “I was hoping for a more enthusiastic reaction, you know?”

Keith almost flinches at that, an apology already on the tip of his tongue, but Lance continues.

“Keith, I want to be with you,” Lance says, looking down as he grabs Keith’s hand and intertwines their fingers. His gaze is intense as his eyes meets Keith’s again. “But I want you to be comfortable with it.”

He raises their joint hands and presses a kiss to the back of Keith’s hand. “We can wait until you’re ready. Really, there’s no need to rush. I trust you, and I love you. So, let’s take our time, okay?”

Lance’s smile is soft and warm, and all the doubt and anxiety leaves Keith’s body with the next deep breath he exhales. He doesn’t deserve this boy.

“Okay,” he whispers.

“Okay,” Lance replies with a grin.

“Although you’re the one that jumped me the moment you got the free pass,” Keith mumbles.

Lance snorts in amusement. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be down to fuck you right here on the training deck.”

Keith almost chokes, heat flaring to his cheeks.

“You — You can’t just _say_ things like that,” Keith sputters.

“I just did though,” Lance chuckles, but Keith doesn’t miss the blush that spreads on Lance’s beautiful cheeks.

“You know,” Lance starts, lowering his eyelids. “I also dream about that moment in the nightclub.”

Keith’s stomach twists, but then Lance looks up at him through thick dark eyelashes, a glint in his eyes that makes Keith’s breath hitch.

“But those definitely aren’t nightmares,” he whispers, voice so deep that it ignites a fire in the pit of Keith’s stomach.

Even if he had any air left in his lungs to speak, Keith wouldn’t know what to say.

Luckily — or not — he doesn’t have to.

“Oh my god, Lance. Not _here_ ,” Hunk screeches from his place in the door, and Lance immediately flops back with a loud laugh.

“Please, Hunk! A little bit more privacy would be great!”

“You’re making out in the middle of the training deck,” Hunk yells, throwing his arms in the air in an exasperated manner.

“Now, who says we were making out,” Lance says as he sits up. “You’re the one with a dirty mind. Maybe we were just training.”

“Well, it sure doesn’t _smell_ like it,” Hunk huffs, putting his hands to his waist, and Keith’s arms almost give out in embarrassment as he pushes himself up.

Lance winces.

“We got caught, Keith,” he says, turning around. “Maybe next time you wait until we’re alone until you attack me.”

Keith stares at him dumbfounded.

“ _Me_?” he stresses. “You’re the one who tackled me to the floor and –“

“ _Lalala_ , don’t wanna hear it, _lalalala_ ,” Hunk sings, putting his fingers into his ears.

Keith huffs. “First he asks me all kind of personal questions and now he’s shy?”

Lance chortles. “That’s Hunk for you.”

Keith snorts when he sees Pidge walk into the training hall, sending Hunk a confused look.

“What’s going on?” she asks.

“Nothing!” Hunk squeaks.

“Okayyyy,” Pidge says wearily, but shrugs as she walks into the room. “Come on, Hunk. I feel like kicking your ass.”

“Wha- Why me?”

Keith laughs at his miserable expression, but his attention falls to the hand outstretched in front of him. Lance smiles down at him when Keith takes it and Lance hauls him to his feet.

“You good?” Lance asks, fingers brushing away imaginary dusts from Keith’s shoulders.

“Yeah,” Keith replies, returning the warm smile Lance sends him.

“Stop flirting and help me kick Hunk’s ass,” Pidge yells from the other side of the room.

“Well,” Lance chuckles. “Can’t say no to a request like that, right?”

“You got it,” Keith replies, mischievous grin in place as he goes to pick up his bayard.

* * *

 

Even after all this time the vastness of space takes Keith’s breath away. He’s sitting in front of the large window on the observation deck, looking at the stars passing by. The fact that he doesn’t recognize any of the constellation should be normal for him by now, but it still leaves him with a hint of uneasiness.

Who knows where they are right now. He gave up on keeping up with their position after a while, let Pidge and Hunk handle that stuff. Keith leans back on his hands, one leg tucked underneath him in a comfortable position.

The book Coran translated for him lies open on the floor; he read like two sentences before he got distracted by the sight in front of him. The last few weeks had been so uneventful and peaceful that Keith finally found some time to relax. He takes a deep breath, holds it, and exhales it with a sigh. His shoulders sag, and he flops onto his back with a soft thud.

After his talk with Lance he expected things to change. There isn’t a trace left of the brutal mark Keith had forced onto Lance’s skin, and technically there’s nothing holding them back from deepening their relationship.

Sure, they snuggle, and make-out, but Lance doesn’t make a move to push things further.

Something warm and fuzzy blooms in Keith’s chest at the thought. He really lucked out with an incredible boyfriend like that.

He groans and pushes his rough palms over his face.

But on the other hand, he really wishes that Lance would take his hand and guide him, give him a push, because to be honest: Keith is at his wits end.

Lance is beautiful. Hot. Sexy. Just _irresistible_ and every second Keith isn’t touching him is pure agony.

It got considerably worse in the last weeks, having Lance so close to him, being allowed to touch him, to press into him, push his hands up his shirt, hear the delicious sounds dripping from Lance’s soft lips, sink his teeth into Lance’s skin and-

Keith groans again, rolling onto his side to press his hot cheek into the floor.

He’s a goddamn coward.

“Hey, babe what are you doing?”

Keith flinches so hard he rams his finger into his eyes.

“Ow! What the fuck, dude!” he whines, sitting up to rub his hurting eyeball.

“Oh god, I’m sorry,” Shiro laughs, bracing himself on Keith’s shoulder as he sits down next to him. “I was just messing with you.”

“By calling me pet-names?” Keith asks, a frown on his face as he blinks a few times.

“I was trying to imitate Lance,” Shiro explains with a sheepish smile.

“Lance doesn’t call me babe.”

“Really? I thought he’d be the type to be all over these things,” Shiro laughs. “Maybe he’s holding back because of you.”

Keith opens his mouth and closes it again.

“You think so?”

“Woah, hey!” Shiro says, eyes wide as he turns to Keith. “I was just kidding! How should I know these things?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Keith sighs, annoyed at himself for immediately being thrown off by a comment like that.

Shiro chuckles. “This whole relationship thing isn’t exactly easy, huh?”

Keith sighs again. “Tell me about it.”

A warm hand sneaks around Keith’s shoulder and pulls him into a broad chest, where he can feel the deep rumble of a laugh.

“You’re doing okay, Keith. Don’t worry so much.”

Keith relaxes into the embrace, leaning his head heavily against Shiro’s shoulder.

Slowly he started to see glimpses of the old Shiro coming back. Keith still has no idea what horrors he lived through in his time as a galra prisoner, but it sure left scars.

Not only the obvious ones.

The ongoing war doesn’t make it easy to find peaceful times, but lately they’ve been doing okay, and Shiro found a way to ease up on his stern behavior.

“Who would’ve thought that you’d be in a relationship though,” Shiro suddenly says, pulling Keith out of his thoughts. He chuckles. “You were always so focused on your work and your mission, you just never struck me as the kind of guy who’d settle down with someone.”

“Well I was never interested in these things,” Keith admits, and he turns to hide his blushing face. “But then I met Lance.”

“Awwww,” Shiro coos, patting Keith’s head, which earns him a jab in the rips. “Ouch,” he says but laughs and Keith can’t fight the smile that’s tugging at his lips.

“Asshole.”

“No, really, Keith. I’m happy for you,” Shiro says, voice filled with so much warmth that Keith’s chest feels tight with affection. “He’s good for you. You’re so much more at ease when he’s by your side. It’s really cute.” He laughs again, but this time Keith doesn’t slap him.

“I’m really lucky,” he whispers into the fabric of Shiro’s shirt.

He hesitates for a second when Shiro only hums contentedly, and his heart is beating in his throat when he continues. “I’m terrified that I’ll mess this up.”

Shiro stills for a second, but then his grip tightens around Keith’s shoulder.

“You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?” Keith asks, pushing back to look up at Shiro whose eyebrows are pulled together in a concerned frown.

“I’m — I just know you, Keith,” Shiro starts, “and even if — even if your relationship doesn’t work out, and you don’t become bonded, it won’t jeopardize the team! There — There are packs that have platonic alpha, omega relationships after all!” Shiro babbles, his hand uselessly flailing around.

Keith stares at him dumbfounded for a second — and then snorts in amusement. “You know, you’re a great leader, but you suck at relationship advice.”

“Wha—,“ Shiro starts, panic and discomfort so clear on his face that Keith can’t help but burst into laughter.

“I didn’t even _think_ about us breaking up before you mentioned it,” he says between giggles, and now there’s a look of plain horror on Shiro’s face, and Keith has to grab his stomach from laughing so hard.

“You didn’t?” Shiro asks, completely caught off guard, and Keith realizes that it’s the truth.

Yeah, he’s worried about messing things up, but he never thought about a future without Lance by his side.

“Then what are you so afraid of?” Shiro asks with furrowed brows once Keith regained his composure.

“Honestly? I don’t even know anymore,” Keith says, a wide grin on his lips as he wipes tears from his eyes. Shiro’s bewildered expression melts away with a deep sigh.

“I wouldn’t know either, Lance trusts you with his life, and you should do the same,” Shiro says and his calm demeanor is back in place.

“I know.”

“And if you can’t trust yourself then believe in Lance’s feelings,” Shiro adds with a soft smile, and a hard pat on Keith’s shoulder.

“Alright,” Keith says, and the warmth in his chest brings a smile to his lips. “Thanks, Shiro. For the effort at least, because man you’re bad at feelings.”

“Oh, fuck you!”

A flush of embarrassment creeps over Shiro’s cheeks, pulling another laugh out of Keith.

“You’re one to talk!” Shiro all but shrieks, which makes Keith laugh even harder.

“Stop laughing!” Shiro yells, but he can’t hold back a laugh of his own.

“What’s so funny?”

They both peak up at the voice coming from the entrance, and Keith’s heart skips a beat when he sees Lance standing in front of them, hands on his hips and an amused smile on his lips.

“Shiro is just horrible at giving advice,” Keith chuckles, and Lance raises an eyebrow in confusion.

“Shiro? Bad at something?”

“Don’t listen to Keith, he’s an idiot,” Shiro says and now Lance looks completely baffled.

“I don’t have a clue what’s going on, but I’m happy to see you guys having fun.”

Keith chuckles at the embarrassed expression on Shiro’s face, and he pushes into Shiro’s side in affection.

“Really, thank you for listening, it means a lot,” Keith whispers, and Shiro puts his arm around him, squeezing him close for a second before he gives him a slight push on the back.

“Shut up and go get the boy,” Shiro says, loud enough that Lance’s lips crack into an amused smile. Keith stumbles forward, flustered before his eyes meet Lance’s and everything he feels is giddy happiness.

Yes, he’s still nervous, but he’s done with hiding, he’s done with being scared. He’s ready to take on this new adventure. One step at a time, with Lance’s hand in his.

A wide grin finds its way to his lips as he reaches out to grab Lance’s hand, and his stomach flips when he sees the surprised and flustered look on Lance’s face.

“I’ve got him.”

* * *

 

As it turns out, it’s not that easy to take the next step after all.

Keith is a mess.

Yeah, he decided to stop being a coward, but that doesn’t make him any less awkward and flustered around the boy he likes.

And to his demise, Lance isn’t initiating anything either.

Technically, he knows that he should just go for it, but it never feels like it’s the right time. Or maybe Keith is just a coward after all.

“Keith, look out!”

And he really shouldn’t be thinking about this in the middle of a mission.

“Geez, what’s wrong with you today!” Lance scolds him, his face popping up on Keith’s com, making Keith frown in annoyance.

“Says the one who flew right into a blaster.”

“For the last time, that wasn’t my fault! Hunk pushed me!”

“Hey!” Now Hunk’s face pops up on Keith’s screen as well, and he sinks back into his seat with a groan. “Excuse me for saving your sorry ass!”

“I had everything under control!” Lance shrieks, and Keith pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Guys! Can you please concentrate!” Pidge suddenly chimes in, and that is enough for them to realize that they are still technically in a fight.

Keith refocuses, training his eyes on the little fighter ship to his left, taking it out with two precise blasts from Red. A satisfied smirk finds its way onto Keith’s lips.

“Bet you’re feeling pretty cool now, huh, Mullet? Let me show you how it’s done!” Lance teases, and then Blue rushes past Keith, taking out six fighters with one swift strike of her ice-beam. Keith snorts when he hears Lance loud cheering over the coms.

“Oh, yeah? Bet I can take out more fighters than you,” he says, already pushing the controls forward to fly right into the group of approaching fighters.

“Ohoho? Challenge accepted,” Lance says, and Keith doesn’t have to see him to know there’s this sexy challenging smile on his lips.

“Geez, tune down the flirting and focus,” Pidge groans.

“Wha— we’re not flirting, we’re fighting!” Lance yelps.

“Same difference with you guys,” Shiro suddenly says, stunning everyone into a brief silence, before laughter erupts over the coms.

“I’m happy that you’re having fun, but there’s a battleship cruiser quickly approaching,” Coran suddenly chimes in.

“No problem, gorgeous man,” Lance sing-songs, “Keith and I will take care of it, you guys focus on taking out the small fry.”

“Alright,” Shiro says, and Keith hears amusement in his voice.

“Come, on, Keith. Let’s show them what team-work means.”

Keith bares his teeth in a wide grin.

“You got it.”

* * *

 

There’s something about coming out alive after a fight that leaves Keith’s skin buzzing with excitement. It takes him a while to come down from his high, and he takes his sweet time under the hot shower.

He and Lance worked effortlessly together; moves executed in perfect sync.

They really are a good team if they put their minds to it.

It’s been the first time they had a fight like this for weeks, and Keith let’s out a deep breath, a hand pressed to his heart thundering in his chest. They didn’t really get into any real danger, but it’s still always a threat to their lives.

They’ve been so lucky in this war, and Keith prays that he’ll be able to keep his family safe. It’s his duty now — but if Keith is honest those feelings were always there. They just got amplified with the act of forming an actual pack. For a moment he wonders if that’s just how he feels, or if this is another part of being alpha. In the end, it doesn’t matter.

Keith taps the button to shut off the hot water — he’s so thankful for all this easy alien technology, back in his shack he had to heat his water with an actual _fire_. He grabs a towel and wraps it around his waist, taking a smaller one to dry his hair as he steps into the changing room.

“Ah.”

Keith stops in his tracks; he forgot to bring a change of clothes. He sighs and walks out into the hall, shivering at the cold air blowing over his still wet skin as he hurries down the corridor.

Keith walks past his own room and continues towards Lance’s. He didn’t even realize when he started to keep all the stuff and clothes he uses daily in Lance’s cupboard.

One morning he naturally reached out to take his toothbrush from the cup on the small sink in Lance’s room — and froze. Such a little thing of seeing his red and Lance’s blue toothbrush leaning against each other had set off an army of butterflies in his stomach.

A small smile finds its way too Keith’s lips. It’s almost a domestic life.

Up in space. But still.

Keith is still smiling when he hits the button to open the door.

“Hey, Keith, took you long enough,” Lance says, his back to the door, and Keith’s smile falls from his lips when he sees the sight in front of him.

Contrary to popular belief, Lance is quick in the shower — something about hot water not being good for skin, Keith didn’t really listen — so he was already done by the time Keith started washing his hair.

Now, Keith seems to have caught the exact moment, Lance decided to change into his PJs. Because he’s in the process of taking off his shirt.

He grabs it by the neck, pulling it over his head in a swift motion. Keith is mesmerized by the movement of his shoulders; lean muscles under smooth skin. Keith’s eyes trail down to his narrow waist, to the two dimples on the small of his back.

Lance’s sweatpants sit low on his hips, and Keith only manages to tear his eyes away, because Lance moves. He has the audacity to place one hand on his shoulder and roll his arm back with a pleased groan.

Lance tilts his head to the side, stretching as he reveals the delicious curve of his neck.

Keith swallows thickly at the sight, heart thundering in his chest.

He wants to grab those slim hips, pull Lance round butt flush against his groin, and sink his teeth into that neck. He wants to tease all kinds of needy, desperate sounds out of Lance, wants to touch him, kiss him, _devour_ him.

His heart is beating in his throat, making his mind hazy with desire — and then he sees how Lance freezes in his movement.

Something must have spiked in Keith’s scent along with the tight heat curling in the pit of his stomach, because Lance whips around to look at him.

For a second, Keith wonders if he smells like a predator to Lance, but then he sees the vivid blush on his cheeks, his wide eyes — and Keith throws all worries out of the window.

He crosses the room with fierce steps, never taking his eyes off Lance as he places his forearm against his chest, and crowds him up against the wall.

“ _Oh god_ ,” Lance whines breathlessly, and then Keith pushes in to steal those words from his lips.

The kiss isn’t calm and gentle.

It’s fierce, hot, _desperate_.

Keith opens Lance’s lips with his tongue, groaning when Lance moans into his mouth. Lance melts into the kiss, letting Keith press further into him, trap him between the wall and his body without complaint.

Lance’s hands scramble for a hold on Keith’s still wet arms, when Keith bites his bottom lip. He draws a delicious moan out of Lance that fuels the fire in Keith’s veins, and he can’t hold back the deep growl rumbling out of his chest.

“Oh _god_ ,” Lance whines again, warm breath puffing over Keith’s wet lips between kisses. Suddenly there’s a leg wrapped around Keith’s waist, and he moans when Lance pulls him closer, hands finding their way into his wet hair and _tugging_.

Keith’s hips snap forward at the action, and a hiss drops from his lips when Lance openly keens into the kiss. The friction is delicious, but not enough. Not when Keith can feel the hard outline of Lance’s dick pressed into his thigh.

He leans back a little, hands resting on Lance’s hips, so slender under his touch. He can’t resist giving them a tight squeeze that steals another beautiful sound from Lance’s lips.

“Let’s move this to the bed,” Keith whispers, voice rough and breathless. Lance’s eyes flutter open at that, his pupils so wide and dark they devour almost all of his bright blue iris. His face is flushed, lips wet and still parted.

“Okay,” Lance squeaks quietly, and Keith presses another heated kiss to those waiting lips. He doesn’t want to spend another second without touching Lance, so he easily slides his hands down to Lance’s thighs and lifts him.

Lance lets out a surprised, strangled sound, but immediately wraps his legs around Keith’s waist, his arms around his neck. Keith curses under his breath. Lance is warm and soft in his arms, and pressed close like this his scent is overwhelming and impossible to resist.

Keith turns his head and presses his face into the side of Lance’s neck.

“ _Ah!_ Keith!” Lance squirms, trying to pull away and push into the intimate touch at the same time.

A mewl drops from his lips when Keith opens his mouth to lick a long stripe over Lance’s sensitive scent glands. Lance’s soft smell is mixed with the musky scent of arousal, hot and spicy in the air. Keith never smelled anything like it, and he nuzzles his nose closer against Lance’s skin.

Lance gets a good idea how turned on Keith really is, when the towel slips from his hips. Lance makes a choking sound, hiding his face in the crook of Keith’s neck, and Keith feels how he shivers in his embrace. Seems like he’s not the only one who’s affected by smell.

Keith takes the three steps to Lance’s bed — and hesitates. For a second, he thinks about pushing Lance down into the sheets, and arousal trickles down his spine. But Lance is a trembling, nervous mess in his arms, so Keith turns them around and unceremoniously falls back, pulling Lance on top of him.

Lance is still hiding his face when Keith shimmies back until he’s comfortable resting against the wall, Lance perched up in his lap.

And, okay this sight is just as good, Keith decides, when his hands slide to Lance’s neck to tilt his head back.

Lance is hovering above him, face beet-red, and his lips curled into an embarrassed expression.

“You’re naked,” Lance suddenly whines, and although Keith is so horny he can barely think, he starts laughing.

“You noticed.”

“How could I _not_ notice,” Lance whines, and his thighs twitch, trapping Keith’s legs between them. Arousal spikes in the pit of Keith’s stomach, and he groans, knowing that Lance can feel _exactly_ how hard he is.

Lance’s hands rest on Keith’s shoulders, arms trembling, and Keith raises one hand from Lance’s hips to caress the soft skin of his forearms. He turns his head, pressing a gentle kiss to the inside of Lance’s wrist which steals another whiny sound from Lance’s lips.

Keith’s eyes wander from Lance’s beautiful flushed face, down the expand of his chest, over his shivering abs, to the hem of his thin pants. Desire shivers through Keith’s hips when he sees the obvious bulge between Lance’s legs, a damp spot revealing just how turned on he is already.

His want must be obvious in his smell, because Lance squirms on his lap with a desperate sound, and the movement makes Keith twitch.

“The question is,” Keith starts, his voice rough and breathless as he grabs Lance’s wrist to pull him closer, “why are you still wearing clothes?”

“Oh, good _god_ ,” Lance whispers in a squeaky voice.

Suddenly he’s pressing forward, hot lips on Keith’s in an open-mouthed kiss that leaves them breathless. Keith’s hands find Lance’s hips again, pulling him flush against him which is rewarded with a deep moan from both of them.

“Lance,” Keith says between kisses, and his heart is beating hard and heavy in his chest. “Can I touch you?”

The scent that’s suddenly spiking in the air is so sickly sweet, that Keith’s heart skips a beat, stomach dropping with desire.

It can’t be.

He can’t be this lucky.

“I can’t,” Lance whines, but his hips tilting forward, pressing into Keith with a delicious friction, tell something else. “If you touch me right now,” Lance continues, voice husky as he hides his hot face into the crook of Keith’s neck yet again,” I’ll come on the spot.”

“ _Fuck_ ,” Keith curses under his breath. “I really, _really_ want to touch you,” he says, and Lance trembles in his arms, his moan a wet breath against Keith’s neck.

“Hey,” Keith starts, reaching up to cup Lance’s cheek in his hand. Lance reluctantly leans back, and Keith swallows when he sees his flustered expression.

“We can stop, if you really don’t want to,” he whispers, and Lance reaches up to hold onto Keith’s wrist.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Lance whines. “I’m just … embarrassed.”

Keith can’t help the chuckle that escapes him at that.

“Don’t laugh at me!” Lance yelps, blush darkening on his cheeks. “It’s your fault for suddenly acting all confident! I didn’t even know what was happening to me!”

Keith freezes at that.

“Is that … bad?”

“No!” Lance quickly says. “God _no_. That’s so hot, I don’t know what to do,” Lance whines, averting his eyes.

Keith’s shoulders sag in relief, and he grabs Lance’s hand, placing a kiss to his palm.

“Same goes for you,” he whispers, pressing another kiss to the inside of Lance’s wrist which earns him a cute twitch.

“You’re so beautiful. So _sexy_ ,” he says, smiling when Lance whines again.

“I want to devour all of you.” His eyes hold Lance’s gaze, and he sees how Lance swallows. And there it is again, the spike of a sweet scent that rips a deep growl from Keith’s chest without his consent.

“Oh, fuck it,” Lance breathes, and leans in to steal another hot kiss from Keith’s lips. “Touch me,” he whispers, and Keith doesn’t have to be told twice.

Before either of them can chicken out, he lets his hand travel down Lance’s sides, reveling in the soft sounds Lance breathes into his mouth, the cute twitches when he touches sensitive skin. Lance holds his breath when Keith’s fingers slide down his abdomen and under the hem of his pants.

“Oh _god_ ,” Lance moans, high and needy, and his hips buck up when Keith wraps his fingers around his length. It’s hot in his hand, and Keith’s heart is beating in his throat, nervousness almost choking him. He swallows as he starts to move, completely in awe, when Lance shivers in his embrace, hips stuttering forward with a rich moan.

“ _Keith_ ,” Lance mewls, right into his ear, and his nails dig sharply into Keith’s arm.

“Fuck,” Keith hisses under his breath, and he pulls Lance in for another searing kiss, as he picks up the pace. The soft suppressed sounds dripping from Lance’s lips send heat right between his legs where he’s still painfully hard.

“Keith, I’m—, “ Lance cries, and he tilts his hips forward, pushing into Keith’s touch.

He doesn’t have to finish his sentence. Keith can feel him, wet and hot, can smell his delicious, mouth-watering scent, rich with arousal.

Keith moves his hand faster, twisting his wrist just right as Lance arches his back with a breathless moan that makes Keith’s grind up his hips.

“I’m-,” Lance starts again, face buried in the crook of Keith’s neck, and then he scratches Keith’s arms open with a loud throaty moan as his whole body goes rigid. Keith feels his hot release all over his fist, and he doesn’t stop moving, pushing Lance over the edge.

Lance collapses on top of him, chest heaving with every breath he takes.

Keith feels hot all over, his face is burning, and he really doesn’t know what to do with his hand. Suddenly, he’s hit with the realization of what just happened, and he’s ridiculously turned on — and embarrassed.

“God, that was-, “ Lance starts, voice sounding so wrecked it sends a hot shiver down Keith’s spine.

“Yeah,” Keith says, mouth suddenly dry, and when Lance lifts his head to meet his gaze, his heart almost jumps out of his throat.

“Good,” Lance says, a dazed smile on his lips. “That was _really_ good,” he says, giggling as he leans in to plant a soft kiss on Keith’s lips.

“That’s … good,” Keith says, a little distracted by the soft giggly kisses Lance presses to his lips, and his cheek, trailing down to his jaw and to his neck which makes Keith flinch and twitch in the best ways.

Keith tries not to buck up his hips, which is getting more difficult with every second he has Lance’s warm ass pressed to his hard dick.

“What about you?” Lance whispers into Keith’s jaw.

“I’m good,” Keith says, hurriedly.

“Really?” Lance says, a teasing edge to his voice, and then he grinds his hips down. Keith hands fly up and he grabs Lance’s arms. A rich moan rips from his throat when Lance moves in tight little circles, sending heat waves between his thighs and all the way down to his toes.

What happened to the shy boy from before?

“I mean,” Keith starts, voice breaking with a low moan. “We don’t have to, _you know_ ,” he says, fingers digging into Lance’s soft skin.

“Keith,” Lance says, hands warm and gentle on Keith’s cheeks as he stops moving. “I want you.”

Keith is not to blame for the choked sound that leaves his lips.

“Okay,” he wheezes, and Lance hums contentedly, leaning in to kiss him again. His lips are open and wet, but the kiss they share isn’t mindless heat. It’s slow and sensual, sending electricity down Keith’s body.

“How,” Keith says between kisses, heart beating hard in his chest. “How do you want to do this?”

“Hm?” Lance asks against the corner of Keith’s mouth.

“I mean,” Keith says, and swallows, “which part do you want to … take.”

Lance freezes at that and leans back to look at him with wide eyes.

“Are you serious?”

“I umm, yeah?” Keith asks, completely caught off guard by Lance’s reaction.

“Honestly, you never fail to surprise me.” Lance chuckles. “I’m honored that you ask, but all my instincts are telling me that I want you inside of me.”

Keith chokes on his own spit.

“Okay,” he wheezes again, and Lance giggles — _giggles_ — as he leans forward to kiss Keith again, rolling his hips in a steady rhythm that makes his breath hitch against Keith’s lips.

By now Keith is holding onto Lance’s hips for dear life. He’s so hard, he can barely think straight anymore, and now Lance hides his face in the crook of his neck again, lips ghosting over his skin as he inhales deeply.

“God you smell so _good_ ,” Lance moans, and Keith squeezes his eyes shut when teeth scrape over his sensitive skin. He really is at his limit now.

“Do we need any … lube?” he asks, face embarrassingly hot at this simple question.

He knows that some omegas can get really wet even when they’re not in heat, and earlier he thought that the sweet smell might mean that Lance –

No way, he can’t be that lucky.

“Why don’t you find out?” Lance says now, hot breath fanning over Keith’s face when he leans back, wrapping a warm hand around Keith’s to guide him.

His words may sound brave, but Lance looks incredibly flustered, blush bleeding all the way down to his collarbones — which is both sexy and endearing.

Keith’s breath hitches in his throat, when Lance guides his hand between his cheeks and lifts his butt to give Keith easier access.

A desperate sound leaves Keith’s lips when two of his fingers easily slip into the wet heat.

He really is that lucky.

“You’re so _wet_ ,” he moans in awe, and Lance writhes in his lap with a trembling keen, blush spreading all the way up to his ears.

Keith’s eyes flick down to where Lance’s pants are pushed down to his thighs, showing his pretty pink dick, hanging hard and heavy between his legs.

Keith licks his lips at the high mewling sound that leaves Lance when he easily slides in another finger. He’s dreamed about pushing into this heat, getting Lance all wet and ready for his cock. Hot slick is trickling down his fingers, tainting the inside of Lance’s thighs.

“So wet and open,” Keith growls, and Lance whines, nails digging into the flesh of Keith’s shoulders.

“Stop -Stop narrating everything,” he cries, hiding his face.

“Sorry, but this is amazing,” Keith whispers in awe, and Lance twitches when he scissors his fingers inside him, pushing in and out in a steady rhythm that makes Lance’s hips stutter. Keith has to shift as well, groaning when his rock-hard dick brushes Lance’s thigh.

“It’s embarrassing,” Lance whines. “But your scent is really riling me up,” Lance moans, buries his face against Keith’s neck and inhales.

The sweet scent spikes again, and this time Keith feels how Lance tightens around him, wet slick dripping down his fingers. He slips deeper, fingers finding a spot that has Lance _scream_ , back arching as he shivers violently with every brush of his fingers.

“ _Shit_ ,” Keith curses, hips bucking up, and he pulls his fingers back, quickly wiping them on the sheets. “Let’s get rid of these,” he croaks, and helps Lance sit up to awkwardly shimmy out of his pants.

He grabs Lance’s hips, easily shifting him into position again. A deep growl rumbles out of his chest, when his dick rubs against Lance’s entrance.

He takes a deep breath, and looks up into Lance’s red face, eyes wide and hazy.

“Are you sure?” he asks breathlessly.

“God, _yes_ ,” Lance moans, and then he’s pushing back.

Keith squeezes his eyes shut with a low moan, when Lance slowly, painfully slowly, eases himself down. He takes a peak at Lance, but his blissed out face, mouth dropping open in a loose O, is too much for him to bear right now.

The feeling his completely overwhelming, hot and wet and so _tight_. Keith knows that his fingers will leave dark bruises on Lance’s hips, but he can’t help himself.

Lance tilts his hips just a little when he’s settled in Keith’s lap, and Keith grind upwards, a deep moan grating through his throat. Heat curls tightly in the pit of his stomach, sending a tingle down into his legs.

“Wait a second,” Keith whines, hands shaking from the effort of holding back any movement. “Don’t — Don’t move.”

“Okay,” Lance answers, voice thin and trembling.

Keith opens his eyes — and regrets it.

“ _Wow_.”

All air leaves his lungs with just this word.

Lance is beautiful.

His skin is glowing, brown and beautiful, gleaming with a thin layer of sweat. His hair is slightly wet, pushed out of his eyes, and his cheeks are flushed in a pretty pink. He’s bracing himself on Keith’s shoulders, arms trembling with the effort.

“You’re beautiful,” Keith whispers, and he feels how Lance tightens around him.

“Shut up,” Lance cries, trying to hide, but there’s nowhere to run. He’s laid everything bare in front of Keith, and affection is a heavy lump in Keith’s throat.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Lance sighs, “It’s just — you’re so _big_.”

Keith swallows hard, fingers digging deeper into Lance’s hips when he sees how much Lance is leaking.

“Can you move?” he asks, voice deep and gravely. Lance shivers in his lap, squeezes his eyes shut, and shakes his head.

“Sorry, Lance,” Keith moans. “I don’t think I can hold back anymore.”

“Then don’t,” Lance whispers, and with that, Keith leans upwards, pushing Lance down into the sheets like he wanted to do from the very beginning.

And the sight is better than anything he ever dreamed of. Lance looks absolutely stunning, so pliant and submissive underneath Keith’s touch.

And this time he sees how Lance’s pupils widen, how his mouth drops open, hands fisting into the sheets as Keith buries himself deep inside of him. A beautiful rich moan drops from Lance’s lips, and Keith can already feel the heavy pressure building behind his abdomen, sending searing waves of pleasure down into his hips.

He pulls out and snaps his hips forward with a deep groan.

Lance’s squeezes his eyes shut, one hand clasping over his mouth, but Keith can still hear the surprised moan, that leaves his lips.

Keith’s breath goes heavy as he finds a steady rhythm, rolling his hips into Lance with enough force to make him slide over the silky bed sheets. Lance lets out a punched-out, breathy little _Ah!_ with every snap of Keith’s hips.

Keith growls, deep from his chest, and he feels how Lance squeezes him tight, dripping around him, air filled with the sickly sweet smell of his slick.

“Hey,” Keith says, breathlessly, “Let me hear you.”

Lance shakes his head, but he’s pliant underneath Keith and it’s so _so_ easy to remove the hand from his mouth.

“Do-Don’t _ah!_ ” Lance cries, tears shimmering in his blue eyes, “it’s embarrassing!”

Keith wraps Lance’s arms around his neck. “It’s hot,” he says, and pushes into Lance with his whole body weight.

Lance buries his fingers into Keith’s hair, the sharp tug only adding to Keith’s arousal. Loud, high-pitched moans fall from his open lips, echoing through the room along with the filthy wet noises of Keith’s movement.

“That’s it,” Keith breathes, and Lance mewls into his shoulder, loud and needy. Keith’s lips trail down the side of Lance’s neck, over his scent-glandes where his smell is overwhelmingly sweet. He opens his mouth, teeth scraping over the sensitive skin.

Lance makes a choking sound, his legs wrapping around the back of Keith’s thighs to pull him even closer.

“Do it,” Lance keens, and heat sears through Keith’s body, his hips stuttering as he curses.

He wants to do it, wants to bury his teeth in Lance’s flesh. Wants to feel the relief and satisfaction of making Lance _his_. But Lance isn’t even in heat right now.

Keith’s hips snap forward relentlessly now, falling out of rhythm, and heat washes between his legs, when Lance moans shamelessly right into his ear.

Keith pulls Lance’s hips back now to meet him in sync with his thrusts, and suddenly Lance shouts, arching his back when Keith hits a sensitive spot, tightening impossibly around him.

Keith’s whole body goes taunt and he growls, his vision whitening as the orgasm washes over him. He rolls his hips forward, distantly aware of the soft sounds Lance breathes into his neck as he comes deep inside of him, hips stuttering, until he crashes on top of Lance.

His chest is heaving with every breath he takes, and his legs feel numb.

He just had sex.

With Lance.

Keith is still buried inside of him, and he feels how wet he is, leaking all around him, almost sucking him in.

Keith pushes himself up, bracing himself on the headrest with one arm — and his breath hitches as he takes in the sight in front of him.

Lance looks completely wrecked.

Tears are trailing down his flushed cheeks, and his hair is a mess. His hands are tightly fisted into the sheets, his arms trembling. He’s looking up at Keith through dark eyes, unfocused with desire.

“You’re beautiful,” Keith whispers for the second time tonight, but it’s the truth. Lance is _glowing_.

“Don’t look,” Lance whines, trying to hide behind his arm, but Keith catches his hand. He raises it to his mouth, kissing the palm of his hand, the sensitive skin of his wrist.

His other hand trails down the expand of Lance’s body, reveling at the twitches and soft needy sounds Lance makes. His hand finally wraps around Lance’s dick, still hard and pink and already leaking a puddle on his stomach.

Lance mewls, arching his back beautifully, and Keith can only stare in awe.

Keith’s heart is beating like crazy when he pushes his nose to Lance’s wrist. The scent glands here are smaller, only releasing a faint smell, but they’re still a sensitive spot.

Keith opens his lips and bares his sharp teeth — he sees how Lance’s eyes widen — and then he’s biting down. Blood fills his mouth, and Lance shouts. Keith feels how he tightens around him, and he lets Lance fuck himself up into his fist as he comes again, release splattering all over his stomach and chest.

Keith only has a moment to appreciate Lance’s blissed out face, his eyebrows knitted together, red lips slightly parted as he pants — before he’s being pulled down by surprisingly strong arms.

They roll to the side, and Lance’s body is limb and soft in his embrace.

“I said,” Lance says between heavy pants. “don’t look.”

“There’s no way _in hell_ ,” Keith starts, breath just as heavy, “I wouldn’t look.”

Lance laughs, breath warm and sweet on Keith’s face.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Says the right one.”

“Stupid Mullet.”

“Dumb Sharpshooter.”

“I love you too,” Lance whispers and leans forward to press a soft kiss to Keith’s lips.

Keith chuckles and wraps his arms around Lance when he nuzzles into Keith’s chest with a sigh.

“We did it,” Lance whispers. “And you didn’t kill me! What a surprise!”

“Shut up,” Keith says, and chuckles as he hits the back of Lance’s head.

“Although I doubt I’ll be able to walk tomorrow,” Lance admits with a soft laugh, and Keith’s stomach sinks.

“Wait seriously?” He asks, panic rising in his chest as he leans back to look at Lance. “Did I — did I hurt you?”

“No, you dumbass,” Lance says, blush high on his cheeks. “I just can’t feel my legs.”

“Oh,” Keith croaks, embarrassment flushing his cheeks. “I kinda lost control a little, I guess. Sorry.”

Lance chuckles, reaching up to touch Keith’s hot cheek. “Keith, it’ fine.” He lowers his gaze, eyelashes brushing over his glowing cheeks.

“I liked it … _a lot_. If you couldn’t tell.”

Keith’s stomach flips, and he pulls Lance closer.  

“Oh, I could tell,” he growls, and Lance whines, pushing at Keith’s face as he leans in to kiss him.

“Stop that! I’m exhausted,” he laughs, but doesn’t fight it when Keith presses a kiss to his hand. “I can’t believe you bit me though.”

Keith freezes, and leans back.

“Is it bad?” he asks, reaching between them to lift Lance’s wrist. The bitemark is only small and already stopped bleeding. Keith still leans in to lick it, and he can’t help but smirk when Lance twitches.

“No, it doesn’t hurt, I was just — surprised.”

Keith laughs quietly under his breath, lifting his gaze to look at Lance.

“You asked for it though.”

The flush spreads all the way up to Lance’s ears, and he looks so adorable Keith wants to bite him again.

But Lance hides his face against Keith’s chest.

“That wasn’t what I meant at that moment though,” Lance mumbles, voice hesitant and shy.

Keith hums, sliding his fingers into the soft hair at the base of Lance’s neck.

“Let’s save that one for another time,” he finally says, heart beating in his throat. He really hopes he doesn’t regret his words, but he doesn’t have time to worry, because Lance leans back immediately, eyes wide and lips parted.

“That’s not a no.”

“No,” Keith says reluctantly, “It’s a maybe.”

And when Lance’s lips spread into a wide and dazzling smile, eyes melting into a soft expression, Keith knows he made the right decision.

“Maybe is good enough for me,” Lance whispers, breath sweet against Keith lips as he leans in for a soft kiss.

“Just you wait,” Lance adds, and Keith can feel the playful smirk on his lips, “when I’m done with you, you won’t be able to resist me.”

“I think,” Keith whispers as he pulls Lance as close as possible. “You’re a little too late for that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! And - yes - I'm sorry there was no real heat sex lmao I didn't want them to have their first time like that because I won't allow any dubious consent! BUT even though this one is over now, I'm not ready to let this verse go ;D So I'll hopefully write another one for this which will be more heated ;DDD
> 
> As always P L E A S E tell me what you think!  
> ESPECIALLY about that smut scene because I'm hella insecure about that one AJSHKAaskjhaw  
> Was it sexy? steamy? Emotional? Did it work on you? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( Fell free to use this emoji if you don't want to go into detail, although I don't mind hearing everything asasghajw)  
> Did you like how the two acted around each other? Where you as nervous as Keith or just annoyed that he's such a coward?  
> And don't forget about the others! Shiro's and Keith bonding moment and Keith's and Pidge's little moment! Did you like the way I portrayed them? :D Where there any scenes that were really fun to read? :D
> 
> PLEASE tell me everything - in all Caps or keysmashes or essays or smiley - your comments are keeping me alive and kicking, and only fuel my love for writng more!

**Author's Note:**

> This was Chapter One! :D I hope you liked it, and I would LOVE to know what exactly you liked! :D So I thought I would ask you a bunch of questions that interest me as a writer :D  
> I know that some people have difficulties coming up with something to say, but I will litereally love EVERYTHING you tell me!  
> If it's screaming and keysmashing! LAKjslakjw  
> Or smiley faces!! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> Or a whole ESSAY about what you liked :D 
> 
> So here are a few thing as inspiration that I would LOVE to know! :D
> 
> 1\. Did you have a favorite scene/moment? Or even line? :D  
> 2\. Which part made you scream, squeal, laugh or cry out in anger? Any physical reactions? :D  
> 3\. What did you think of the team dynamics? Was there a relationship / moment that stood out? (this one is super interesting for me!! :D) 
> 
> Seriously I read and love every comment! :D I also reply to a lot of them, so if you want me screaming at you in affection PLEASE feel free to talk to me! :D


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